


After the Fall

by JennaLee



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Coerced Consent, Dark, Dubious Consent, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Injury, M/M, Post-Apocalypse, Prostitution, Sad with a Happy Ending, Strong Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-11 09:46:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 38,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4430576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennaLee/pseuds/JennaLee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three years after the world as they knew it ended abruptly, Rhett and Link strike out on their own through the scorched desert wasteland of middle America, hoping to find a land free of sickness and death. With no other options, they push onward and head north, surviving through sheer force of will and their dependence on each other. When Rhett suffers an injury, Link is forced to make a tough choice. How far will he go to protect the man he loves?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shifting Sands

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated as always to Chellann_Nicollares, for the editing & encouragement.

It was high noon in the desert that had crawled relentlessly over the country, and those who had survived the past three years were mostly asleep. 

Rhett and Link lay beside each other beneath the pitiful shelter of an overpass that had almost been eaten alive by the ever-moving sand. If it weren’t for the jutting concrete structure, neither man would have even known that there was a road nearby. The ground was comfortable enough to sleep on, and they both had ragged bed sheets to use as blankets. The previous night’s travels had been long, arduous, and ultimately fruitless. Though they’d passed through a town, it had been stripped clean of supplies, and it had been two days since a storm had brought any water. There were maybe two gulps left in Link’s canteen, and probably less in Rhett’s. Neither had any clear idea of where they were. Everything had changed – whole cities had been burnt to ash, roads disappeared beneath blowing sand, signs were felled and landmarks were gone entirely or virtually unrecognizable. Like everyone else, they followed the stars, the only thing left that remained eternally the same.

Polaris, the North Star, their guiding beacon in the sky. Link had stared at it night after night for months on end and could swear it was burned into his brain. North was the answer. The desert couldn’t possibly go on forever. If they kept going north, they’d eventually find a cooler climate where the sun and heat didn’t kill you in twenty minutes flat. Vegetation, water, shelter, _life_. Or at least that was the theory the two men were banking on. Not many were brave enough to undertake such a journey, and most survivors had chosen to join one of the autonomous villages that had sprung into existence amongst the ruins of old cities. Without law and order, the chances of survival there were solely dependent on how useful you were and how well you could defend yourself. Still, it might have been the most attractive option – if it weren’t for the virus. 

If he was going to die, Link wanted to die fighting for freedom, not huddled in a stinking quarantine house crippled with pain, forced to watch helplessly as the other vomiting, shaking, moaning victims of the plague died one by one. The terrible virus was more contagious than measles and it caused a slow and awful death. Flu-like throat and chest pain quickly turned into a high fever with intense nausea and diarrhea. Internal haemorrhaging created blood in both vomit and stool, turning both a hideous crimson. Severe weight loss and pain followed and worsened until death.

The virus was quickly eating away at all the remaining strongholds on Earth despite how hard people tried to stop it. Last year, Rhett and Link had been sent to a huge CDC facility in the middle of nowhere in a last ditch effort to isolate those who were still healthy, the government choosing those with university degrees that could prove helpful to a new society. But something had gone wrong, and the virus broke out once again. Panic spread like fire and the officials running the facility had either vanished or died like most of the others. 

Surrounded by a brutal desert made even more unforgiving by the climate shift, the other evacuees, over a hundred thousand of them, had mostly chosen to sit down and die amongst whatever loved ones they had left. Only a brave few had chosen to run, Rhett and Link among them. They chose the difficult route – almost due north, straight through the desert. To the west lay disaster, they'd seen that for themselves. To go east meant crossing most of America with few towns to obtain supplies, and there was no telling how high the sea had risen. The east coast itself was gone, and water likely covered much of the low-lying South by now. To the south was only scorched wasteland. Even middle America was facing average daytime temperatures of over 120 degrees – Texas probably looked like Mars. 

They had a chance. There _was_ food left, mainly in abandoned households with cold cellars and pantries full of boxes and cans and jars. While they hadn’t passed any major cities, they frequently found small abandoned towns, tiny gas stations and old shacks to raid for clothes, food, and basic hygienic supplies. They carried as much as they could in their backpacks. Water came from the violent storms that rolled blackly overhead every few days. Link would unroll the big tarp from his bag and spread it out on the ground while Rhett held the other side, and when the storm passed there was generally enough water pooled there to satisfy them and partially fill their canteens.

Most importantly, Rhett and Link had each other. If Link didn’t have Rhett, he would have nothing. Rhett was his best friend, his anchor, probably the only person he’d ever known who could have made it this far. Smart and tough, he was the eternal cock-eyed optimist of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s famous song, refusing to give up hope where countless others had fallen into bleak despair. 

And so, though he should be asleep, Link was wide-awake and worried sick. 

“How’s your arm?” the slim brunet whispered to the tall sandy-haired man stretched out beside him. The pain on the older man’s face scared the hell out of Link, as did the sheen of sweat on his brow and the way his breath sounded laboured and hoarse. The situation was serious, no matter how many times Rhett insisted he was okay. There were no hospitals, no nurses or doctors, nobody to call if something went wrong. Out here in the new world, weaklings died fast, and injuries were a guaranteed problem – especially if they got infected. 

“I feel fine, Link. I mean, it hurts like the devil, but it ain’t feelin’ like anything but a scratch still,” Rhett insisted. The worry etched into the lines on his dusty face spelled a different story, and when Link turned to the side he could actually feel the heat radiating from the bandages covering Rhett’s arm. _Liar, liar._

“You’re so warm,” Link whispered, gnawing at his lower lip. “Did you smell the bandages when you changed them?” His head was spinning. Sleep had never seemed so far away, despite the bone-deep exhaustion that followed every night out in the desert. The word _gangrene_ was flashing crazily in his head, buzzing and flickering like a shitty neon sign. Impossible not to think about it. If it came to that, there weren’t many options. The word _amputation_ was a chilling, oozing undercurrent that leaked into every word he spoke. Neither of them had the courage to say it out loud, but beneath the stubborn charade Link knew Rhett was afraid. Afraid not only for himself, but for Link. They’d only made it for this long because they’d had each other since the very beginning. Together, they’d watched the first television broadcast of the destruction of Tuvalu and the Maldives as they were swallowed by the rising sea. Together, they’d made it through the hellish LA massacre, the murders, the disease, the famine, the long trip east to the CDC facility. Alone, Link wouldn’t last a week out here. 

“Go to sleep, Link, we won’t get anywhere tomorrow if we stay up all night worryin’ about me.” Rhett sounded determined. “C’mon, man. Close your eyes and hush up.”

“You should let me have a look at – ”

“Tomorrow, Link. Goodnight.”

“Fine, whatever,” Link muttered, frustration and concern warring for dominance. He sounded sulky, but he couldn’t help it. While Link understood that Rhett didn’t want to think about the worst case scenario, they couldn’t ignore the danger they were in for too much longer. The dang wound was infected. Rhett didn’t want him to see it because it was obvious how bad it had gotten. They had no antibiotics, no food, no water, pitiful shelter. They had no idea where the next town was, and they would have to backtrack for a full day to get to the last inhabited ‘city’ – which, while unfriendly and territorial, had at least offered a roof to sleep under to hide from the blistering sun. Finding another band of survivors and begging for their mercy might be their best chance, and their ‘mercy’ might only be the gift of a quick death. 

Medicine was one of the most difficult commodities to come by. The storms and the sea had been deadly, as were the wars that followed, but the biggest loss of life had been from the highly infectious virus known colloquially as the Red Death. Most people agreed that, if it weren’t for the virus, mankind would have already started to adjust to the climate shift. Cities and states would have connected and shared resources. Society would slowly recover.

_And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.…_

That was from Poe’s short story. Link remembered reading it in high school. The normalcy of that time seemed almost too strange. Had it really been just twenty-five years ago? Recalling his days as a teenager made him feel hollow inside. He knew now that he should have appreciated every day far more than he had. Each day that you woke up alive with food and water was a precious gift. 

Suddenly, panic fluttered in Link’s chest. _What if he dies in his sleep? You want your last words to Rhett to include ‘whatever’?_ Link groped blindly at his side for Rhett’s uninjured arm. “Rhett, I love you,” he whispered, a bit frantically.

“I love you too. Now don’t get mushy like you’re sayin’ goodbye or somethin’,” Rhett warned. One eye peeped open, olive-coloured in the dim light, and Link smiled even though he wanted to sob. The brunet rolled over onto his right side, facing Rhett, and finally closed his weary eyes. It felt like it had been a hundred years since he’d had a real night’s sleep. 

His dreams, as usual, were torturous.

_“Women under thirty, and children only!” a bone-thin woman called out over the assembled masses in the streets of Los Angeles. Half the city was on fire and the other half was underwater, or so it seemed. At least five thousand people had gathered by the planes, a larger group than Link had seen in a long time. People kept to themselves and their families nowadays, for safety and for fear of infection. The planes were heavily guarded by soldiers in full riot gear, and a squadron of helicopters hovered overhead, guns aimed at the crowd. They took no chances._

_“Women under thirty, all children! No handicapped, blind, deaf, or sterile. Minor injuries only. No men, we have enough men!”_

_Faceless uniformed men marched through the crowd, collecting children and young women and organizing them into a line to take to the planes. Link held Christy’s arm in a tight grip as she began to moan, low and terrible, a sound of pure grief. Their daughter, huddled against Christy’s side, started to cry. “Mom, I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go!” Her pleads were echoed by her brothers, by all the pitiful, dirty children clinging frantically to parents or siblings or cousins or even strangers who had been taking in orphaned children out of the goodness of their hearts, or out of pure desperation to fill the terrible aching chasm left by a dead child of their own._

_Christy met Link’s eyes. She looked half dead already. Her once lustrous hair hung limp and scraggly down her shoulders and her skin was pale and sallow. They had both known this day would come. They were both healthy, but too old for hard labour or childbearing – which were the only requirements for citizens in Haven City, the last unspoilt city in the hemisphere. Their only goal was to ensure the safety of their children. None of them would live to see adulthood unless they were evacuated, and Link knew it. Clumsily, he dropped to his knees and opened his arms. Lincoln flung himself into them. Lily and Lando ran to Christy, who had knelt beside her husband._

_“Go on, Lily, be brave,” she whispered. “Don’t let go of your brothers’ hands. Walk over to that man in the blue uniform. Stay with him, honey, okay?”_

_The couple clung to each other, grim and despairing but fiercely proud all the same, as the soldiers moved through the crowd collecting the young evacuees. When Link’s children were hustled into the line, the heartbreak was almost too much to bear. While Christy got back to her feet, Link needed her help just to stand up again. It was all going much too fast. Soon everybody was organized at the foot of the stairs leading up to the planes._

_“Is that all?” the woman in the helicopter demanded in her tinny magnified voice. “There’s one more plane. Are there any women under forty, mothers with children being evacuated? Mothers under forty, still healthy, no major injuries, no disabilities. Pre-menopausal. We can take fifty more.”_

_A chorus of frantic screaming followed this announcement. The soldiers tensed as the crowd surged forward, and yells erupted as those unlucky enough to be too close were beaten back. Hope exploded in Link’s chest and he pushed Christy forward with one arm while his other shoved people aside. “Here!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “Here! She has three kids! Three!”_

_“Link – ” Christy began to say, and then one of the soldiers touched her on the shoulder and urged her forward, protecting her from the mob of people. Without being given the chance for even one last hug or kiss, she was hustled through the crowd away from Link towards the group where their children were. She was crying, but she was alive. He briefly lost sight of her as the crowd jostled him from side to side. But then Link saw her standing by the plane, holding all three of her children in her arms. Their children. Link felt like his heart was being ripped into pieces, yet there was a fierce, burning joy deep within his grief. They had the best chance. Northern Canada, some whispered, or Scandinavia, maybe Svalbard, or even Russia. That was where they took the healthy ones, where the sun hadn’t scorched the life off the face of the earth. Where there were still schools and hospitals, and bloody maggot-filled corpses didn’t litter the streets. Link’s children would live, they would heal. And they would have their mother, who in turn would have them to distract her from thoughts of Link._

_Tears burned and stung his eyes, but Link made no move to wipe them away. Crying had become so common he barely noticed it happening. There was nothing Link could do. The evacuations had become so routine that he knew what happened to those that tried to disrupt the process. All interruptions were swiftly and mercilessly dealt with._

_A blond man in a tattered red shirt broke free of the crowd and raced after his toddler, falling to his knees and embracing the confused child like a drowning person clutching at a life buoy. Several people shouted warnings, but it was too late. A baton crashed down on the man’s head as a soldier yanked the child away._

_Nobody seemed to be shocked at the sight of the man’s blood pooling over the road. Nobody cared. What was one more death? Even Link didn’t care – he was busy frantically searching for one last glimpse of his own family. He needed to see them board the plane. Needed to know they were safe. After that…nothing mattered._

_Single file, the evacuees moved slowly into the plane. A familiar blonde head stepped onto the lowest stair, and Link’s heart leapt. Christy turned around only for an instant, and her eyes connected with Link’s almost immediately as she somehow picked him out of the crowd. “I love you,” she mouthed, and Link said it back out loud with his arms outstretched towards her. Then she was gone, and soon the plane was gone too. Link wondered what the huddled mass of remaining people looked like from above. Thousands of defeated, aimless, broken people waiting to die in the lifeless skeleton of what had once been Los Angeles._

_Link fell to his knees on the dirty concrete and wouldn’t have stood up again if Rhett hadn’t picked him up and held him close. Where he’d come from, how he’d found Link, none of that mattered. He was alone, and Link knew better than to ask him where his wife and children had gone. He just closed his eyes and put his arms around the large man, the two of them against the world._

**

The angry red glow of the sunset was already fading when Link’s eyes shot open. He sat up immediately, wincing at the new aches and pains that flooded his body. Ignoring his instinctive urge to gulp the rest of his water, he turned to check on Rhett. Relief made him smile. The tall man was sprawled on his back, bandaged arm carefully held at his side and the other pillowed behind his head. His face was ashy but he wasn’t dead yet. Link scooted closer and laid his head on his friend’s chest, closing his eyes happily at the sound of Rhett’s strong heartbeat. Alive.

They had one more day at least. That was worth something. 

“Mmm,” Rhett mumbled, exhaling hard in frustration as he tried to lick his cracked and peeling lips. “G’mornin’.”

“Hi,” Link sat up and groaned as he tilted his head from side to side, stretching his sore neck. “How do you feel?”

“The usual.” Rhett moved his limbs carefully, blinking in the darkness. His eyes were somehow too bright in his face. “Like I got hit by a truck. Man, I’m thirsty. We need water, and fast – let’s get moving.”

“I meant your arm.” Link made no move to stand.

“It’s fine. Let’s go. We gotta haul butt. Doesn’t smell like rain’s comin’ tonight.”

“Rhett, come on. I’m serious. How is it?”

Rhett started to shake his head, then stopped at the look on Link’s face. “It…alright, I won’t lie. It feels worse than yesterday. You wanna check?” Rhett’s voice was light, but Link thought he could tell that Rhett was afraid to look himself. 

“Sure.” Link tried to sound confident.

Rhett held his arm out obediently, and Link took it gently, laying it across his lap as he peeled away the old tattered shirt they’d tied tightly over the wound. When his eyes fell on the bare skin beneath, Link sucked in a sharp breath and had to fight the urge to vomit. His stomach gave a great lurch of protest. Thick yellow-green pus stained the makeshift bandage along with blood, and Rhett’s entire forearm had darkened to a purplish colour with distinct streaks of red. Everything seemed to be swelling up like a balloon. The skin was so hot that Link could feel it from a foot away, like holding his hand over a heating vent. It wasn’t healing, and it wasn’t going to heal. When Link looked at Rhett’s face, he suddenly registered the new swelling in his neck and knew with a shocking lightning bolt of dread that the larger man’s lymph glands were inflamed. The infection had spread hideously fast overnight and it wasn’t just contained in the arm anymore.

 _Oh, God, it was just a cut. It was just a little cut!_ something in Link’s brain screamed. _Of all the stupid things…_

“How bad is it?” Rhett’s eyes were fixed straight ahead determinedly.

Link just started to cry, more from rage at the unfairness of it all than with grief. 

“Don’t,” the big man pleaded faintly. “Link, come on, man, it’s okay. It could be worse, right? You’re still here, you’re still fine. Even if I – ”

“Don’t say it,” Link blurted hysterically. “Don’t say it!”

“If I die – ”

“Shut up, just shut up!” screamed Link, his free hand curling into a fist. Fingernails dug deep into his palms in his desperation, and the pain felt strangely good. Distracting. Rhett’s face was white and his eyes enormous as he stared blankly at Link, frozen in place and shocked into silence at Link’s guttural scream. 

_What are you thinking?_ Link berated himself. _Yelling at your best friend for trying to plan ahead? What is wrong with you?_ He tried for a normal tone of voice. “I’m gonna…I’m gonna make you a fresh bandage.” What else could he do? They had nothing sterile to clean it with. No ointment to put on. Link’s hands shook as he tore another strip from the cleanest part of his bed sheet, the only fabric they had left. Was it clean enough? Would it just make it worse? Link didn’t know, but he didn’t have a choice. Rhett broke his eerie silence by groaning low in his throat. The sound nearly unmanned Link. Rhett was tough and generally bore his pain in silence. To hear such a resigned, pained noise from him told Link just how intense his friend’s suffering was. 

“I’m sorry,” Rhett whimpered. “Fuck, it hurts real bad. I can’t hide it anymore. Throbbing through my whole arm. Makin’ my head feel weird too.” A fresh trickle of pus burbled out of the wound, and Link’s head swam as he held back another urge to retch. Quick as he could, he covered the exposed gash with the strip of fabric and tied it in place. When he finished, the brunet had to sit down and just breathe to avoid passing out.

“Can you walk?” Link finally asked when he felt almost human again. Carefully, he got to his feet and stretched his limbs.

“I think so. Guess I have to. I ain’t sittin’ down to die,” Rhett huffed, and pushed himself determinedly to his feet. “Come on, Link, let’s go.” He began to walk towards Polaris, his gait awkward and shuffling.

“But what if – ”

“What if _what_? We can’t stay here. There’s nothin’ around for miles!” 

“You can barely walk,” Link pointed out, helplessly. Rhett just shrugged and pushed on, forcing Link to follow. What else could they do? As Rhett said, they couldn’t stay under the overpass forever. They’d made it too far to give up just yet.

The night went by agonizingly slowly. The two men were moving at a snail’s pace, taking frequent breaks to sit down and catch their breath. The last trickles of water in their canteens were gone before midnight, and dehydration sapped their energy fast. It didn’t take long for Rhett to falter, and Link had to let the big man lean heavily on him. Every time Rhett stumbled, he cried out in pain at the sudden movement in his wounded arm. Link fought the urge to scream, wishing to God that he could take away some of Rhett’s suffering and endure it himself. The younger man tried to make conversation to pass the time, even making jokes and teasing the blond like they used to. Rhett tried hard to play along, but after a few hours he fell silent except for the occasional pained gasps and whimpers.

Link kept talking just to fill the void. He replayed events from their past as if they were stories Rhett hadn’t heard before. He talked about school and work and all the people they’d met and the places they’d been, not caring that his babbling made the thirst scraping his throat even worse. “I wonder where we are by now? We’ve been on the move for seven months already, can you believe that? They said we wouldn’t make it a week out here in the desert, but here we are. Couldn’t have done it without you, Rhett. This desert’s gotta end sometime. You’ll see. Can you imagine how easy we’ll have it once we find a river or a lake or somethin’?”

The wind howled mournfully, and Link spit out the sand that blew into his mouth. “I think it must be late August. What do you think? I bet we’ll find grape vines up north, big sweet purple grapes to eat. Corn’s ripe too, prolly. Remember that day we ate the spinning corn on the cob on Good Mythical Morning?” Link swallowed back the urge to cry at the thought of those days. “I’d do anything for somethin’ to eat right now, even somethin’ with tomatoes on it. Even that nasty vegan chili dog. Season seven, remember? I’d eat the whole thing right now and ask for seconds.”

“Jessie,” Rhett said suddenly. His head jerked up and he looked around. “Jessie…?”

“Nah, man, I’m Link, remember?” Link tried to be playful despite the icy dread stealing over his heart. “I’m not as pretty as Jessie.”

“It’s my turn to drive,” Rhett said, his words slurring together like he was drunk. “Gotta get gas at the next stop. The rest of the…Did you call Bill back, honey? Jessie?” 

“Oh, God,” Link said aloud, looking over to see Rhett blinking confusedly at the desert landscape, his eyes totally unfocused. The man was delirious. 

“Bill Gossmann,” Rhett announced, and smiled lopsidedly. “Got his number on a Post-It. It’s on the – on the fridge. Gotta remember to charge my phone. My phone. I cracked my phone screen. Who is that?”

“Rhett, this way. Walk this way with me.” Link pulled at Rhett’s arm, but his fevered friend seemed to be distracted by things only he could see.

“I’ll be home by six o’clock.” Without warning, Rhett pushed Link’s arm away and marched on ahead, veering hard to the left. Link staggered from the unexpected change in his centre of gravity and fell to one knee in the sand. His palm shot out to catch himself just in time to avoid falling face-first into a cluster of sharp rocks. Rhett’s shuffling feet stirred up fine particles of grit that caught in the breeze and whipped into Link’s eyes. 

“Rhett! Watch out!” 

But it was too late. Link’s stinging eyes cleared and he watched helplessly as his best friend fell at the top of the hill they’d been walking alongside and disappeared from sight. Horror-struck, Link got up and ran to where he’d fallen, looking down to see Rhett as he rolled and slid the length of the short slope, coming to a sudden halt in a great cloud of dust as the ground flattened out again. 

“Rhett!” Link screamed, chasing him down the slope. He appeared unhurt, and was already sitting up, the same dazed expression on his face.

“Hah,” he grunted as Link approached. “You’re…How’re you so tall?”

“Cause you’re sittin’ down, Rhett,” Link whispered, trying to smile. “Come on, big guy, get up.” _Oh, please, get up._

“I’m six-foot-seven,” Rhett informed him, as if they’d just met. He took the hand Link offered, and his face suddenly cleared as he rose to his feet. “Link?” he asked wonderingly, his voice faint. “Hey…hey man. I’m thirsty. My throat hurts real bad. Where are we? Can I have some juice? You look different…your hair…” Rhett trailed off, then frowned and slowly held up his bandaged arm. “Ow. I…think I hurt myself. Oh, wow, what did I do?”

Pain filled him. It sounded like his old Rhett, the one before the end of the world. Still tough, but softer, unafraid to be vulnerable in front of Link if he had to. He reached out and touched Rhett’s hand to stop him from trying to look under the bandage. “Shhh, Rhett, I know you’re thirsty. I know it hurts. Don’t talk so much. Just come on this way, we gotta move.”

“Gotta go where?” Rhett slurred, still looking closely at Link with bewilderment in his glassy fever-bright eyes. Link understood his confusion. His own mental image of Rhett was a far cry from the man who stood before him now. They were both older, both wilder-looking, with thinner bodies and the slightly rounded stomachs of those who were no stranger to bouts of famine. 

“This way,” Link announced with as much confidence as he could muster. “We’re almost there. Trust me, okay? We’re gonna make it…somewhere.” 

Rhett’s face cleared. “I trust you,” he said instantly, and Link felt the weight of that trust settle upon his shoulders. There had been so many times when it had been Link who was unsure, full of self-criticism and doubt and anxiety, and Rhett had been the one to smile and tell him to keep his chin up and move on. Now it was Link’s turn to take care of Rhett.

“I’ve got you, Rhett,” Link said firmly. “I’ve got you. I’m gonna take care of you, okay? No matter what it takes.” 

Rhett’s feet dragged and his head lolled forward, but he pushed on, panting with the effort. He needed to rest – they both did – but there was simply no time left. Another hill loomed ahead, its incline gentle but merciless. Link felt as though he was walking in an endless void, staring at the sky as it began to turn from black to a deep blue. In another hour or so, the sun would announce itself obnoxiously, sending the temperatures skyrocketing upwards into the death zone. 

“NC State’s havin’ a good year,” Rhett observed out of nowhere, staring dreamily ahead without the slightest idea of how close they were to a horrible death by exposure. “A good…I don’t…Don’t like the way the ground moves. Sandy. I don’t…”

“Me neither,” Link agreed miserably, wondering if Rhett’s daze was a better alternative to him understanding what was happening. _And I told him to trust me._ The sky was now nearly light blue at the horizon, and Link reached for Rhett’s good arm to hold his hand. His thoughts were turning morbid. He wondered if unconsciousness would come swiftly for Rhett, making his end relatively fast. Link was probably in for a longer, more drawn out death. At least hyperthermia would take him before dehydration. 

Rhett yanked his hand hard and Link forced his brain to stop the awful imagery. “Where is the car?” Rhett asked in irritation. “Dangit, Link, can you go get me a Coke?”

“We’re almost – ” Link started to lie, to make up a destination, but then stopped dead at the sight of what lay in the distance. For a moment he wondered if he too had gone delirious and was imagining things. Was it a mirage? A hallucination brought on by his dehydration? No – it was real! It had to be! They’d spent the previous night under an overpass, which meant a big road – which meant there had to be cities nearby. It made perfect sense. 

“Look! Over there – a town! Come on, Rhett. We can make it!”

The sheer joy in his voice was enough to convince the disoriented Rhett, who perked up and smiled lopsidedly through his grimace of pain as he let Link tug him onward.

 _Town_ was being generous. It was barely a village – a hamlet at best. It was a small collection of maybe thirty houses and a larger concrete building that might have been a garage, plus the skeleton of what could have been a gas station. Piles of burnt rubble and broken timbers indicated that it had once been somewhat bigger, but whatever the village was called before, it was now an abandoned graveyard. But it was shelter, and a potential windfall of supplies. Maybe if Rhett just had food and water, he would heal. _Or maybe you’re as addled as he is,_ a nasty voice in Link’s head mocked. 

Link shook his head to clear it. Behind the biggest remaining house lay an enormous but unassuming A-frame barn. It was the closest structure, so Link gently steered Rhett towards it. Inside would be hot as Hades but the roof would protect them from the dangerous sun. “Let’s get inside that barn before the sun comes up,” Link said firmly. It might not be the most comfortable choice, but the closer the better. Rhett’s strength was damn near gone, and Link was going to make good on his promise and take care of him as long as he could. Sleep would help. 

The large man’s delirious, nonsensical bursts of speech had once again turned to silence. His feet moved pathetically in little baby steps, following Link’s lead now, but he couldn’t seem to hear anything Link was saying to him. 

The door to the barn was locked, but that didn’t bother Link. “Stay here,” he told Rhett, as if the man was capable of going anywhere. “I’ll unlock the door, okay?” 

When he let go of Rhett’s arm carefully, the blond somehow managed to stay standing, although his shoulders were slumped and his head dangled uselessly like a zombie from that ancient TV show they used to watch together. Link took off his shirt, wrapped it around his hand and punched one of the windows hard enough to make him yelp in pain. The glass cracked, but didn’t shatter, so Link hit it again, aiming for the centre of the crack. This time the entire pane gave way with an ear-splitting crash. Glass shards rained down at his feet, and Link brushed the window-frame clear very carefully. All they needed was another injury to deal with. 

“Success,” he boasted loudly so Rhett could hear him. Rhett mumbled something that Link didn’t catch as the skinny brunet eased himself through the window and over to the front door. To his surprise and relief, the sliding deadbolt moved easily, and the big wooden door swung open without so much as a squeak. 

Rhett’s head slowly perked up at the sight, blinking in confusion as if he’d just woken up. “Link, where are we?”

“We found an abandoned barn. We’re gonna sleep in it so we don’t burn to death out there.” A trickle of unease filtered through Link’s mind as he reached for his friend’s arm to lead him inside. What if the barn wasn’t abandoned? They hadn’t even checked for signs of people, and now Link had gone and broken in like some common looter. If Rhett hadn’t started to fall over at that moment, Link might have noticed a few tell-tale hints of the danger they were in – footsteps leading between the barn and several of the small houses, the tire tracks in the distance, the crudely dug well with a big metal bucket perched on a rock beside it. However, it took all of Link’s concentration to grab Rhett without hurting him and half carry, half drag the huge man into the shelter of the barn. Link was just beginning to notice how exhausted he was from carrying Rhett’s weight all night.

Rhett’s eyes were still strangely glassy, but he looked as though he was aware now of where he was and what was happening. “I’m…so tired, Link. So dang tired. Wish…wish my dang head would stop spinning. Feels like my body’s going numb all over.” He shivered, though his face was hot as fire when Link anxiously put a hand to his forehead.

“No, no, no,” Link chanted under his breath, and then said more loudly: “Come on, Rhett, you’re okay. You gotta be okay, man.”

“I’m okay,” Rhett managed faintly, but clearly. “Thanks for gettin’ us here…for takin’ care of me…even if…” He trailed off, and his eyes went to the ceiling. “You should’ve just taken my supplies and left me.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Link said sharply. “I told you that I’m gonna take care of you no matter what. Let’s rest for a bit, get our strength back,” he suggested as if it wasn’t the only option left. Rhett nodded, then collapsed on the dusty floor. Link did the same, arranging himself on his back pressed close to his companion, filled with relief that Rhett’s bout of delirium seemed to have passed but dreading the possibility that he might wake up next to a corpse. 

Exhaustion prevailed over anxiety for once, and Link was asleep before he’d even laid his head down.

**

“Hey, Link.”

Link was enjoying a pleasant dream for once. He was back on his university campus, checking his watch to make sure he wasn’t late. The world was richly coloured in the beautiful oranges and reds of autumn, and the scent on the wind hinted at the coming winter. There was no danger here. No reason to creep along quietly, anxiously turning his head in all directions. No reason to despair. He pulled open the door and wrinkled his nose. Why did the engineering building smell so strongly of food? His stomach rumbled. Did he have time for a snack before class?

“Link, guess what.”

“Hmmm?” Link stirred, slowly rising from a sleep so deep it was like coming back from the dead. His forehead creased as he smelled something strange, and his nose twitched frantically as it tried to decipher what it was sensing. He knew what it was – the answer was on the tip of his tongue. Maddening, the way his brain was so sludgy when he woke up. Link heard a rough, dry, very familiar chuckle. 

“Look what I made,” the brunet heard Rhett say. Link forced his eyes open, happy to hear his friend’s voice, but still disoriented. It took him a long time to register the source of his confusion.

“Is that…baked beans?” he asked, incredulous. Once he said it out loud, it became obvious. “Rhett! You have beans!” Then reality hit him. “Rhett! You’re okay!”

The tall man laughed heartily if a little weakly, his voice subdued but clear. “Yep to the beans, and not so much to the ‘okay’ part. Still got a heck of a fever and I feel horrible. But I’m better than I was yesterday.”

“Jesus.” Link bolted to his feet so fast it made him dizzy. His limbs were limp noodles and his throat felt like he’d swallowed glass. “How, what – where did you – what’s going on!”

Rhett laughed again, his face tight as if the motion hurt him a little. Though his neck still looked swollen and the wound was obviously painful, he looked far more alive than he had the night before. “Look around you, Link! We hit the dang jackpot!”

He looked. There was a literal _pyramid_ of canned goods stacked against the opposite wall. Link’s mouth dropped open. Canned ravioli, baby corn, peas and carrots, beans, beets, tuna. Pickles and peppers. Pigs’ feet in brine, and Spam. Jams or jellies or fruit preserves without labels, maybe homemade. “Oh, my goodness!” he exclaimed. “What on earth – how – why didn’t we see this when we came in?”

“’Cause we were dead on our feet. I don’t even remember getting inside, to be honest. I remember seeing some crazy things. Thought I was back in North Carolina for a while, except you kept popping up everywhere and talking to me. I remember falling down a hill and you helping me up – and then nothin’.” He paused his speech to take a long drink of water from his canteen. Link looked at it with wide eyes, and Rhett smiled. “We missed the big rain barrel last night, too.” He rolled Link’s canteen towards him. “Filled yours up.”

The words were barely out of Rhett’s mouth when Link snatched it up and began to gulp messily, slurping up what didn’t make it in his mouth and nearly crying at how good it felt to quench his thirst. The water was cool and free of grit or any distinguishable bad taste. It was heavenly. It flowed down his throat like the nectar of the gods, its life-giving energy spreading all over his body.

“Oh, Rhett,” he gasped, hiccupping. “This is…this can’t be real, I must have died in my sleep.”

“I’d think the same thing if my arm didn’t feel like it was on fire.” Rhett said, a bit dryly. “Tell you what, though – the pain is manageable when my stomach is full like this. Yesterday I was sure I’d die by sunrise. Then when I woke up, I still thought I was gonna be dead by noon. I was seein’ double and I felt cold all over. Then I saw the food.” He held his injured arm against his chest. “Somehow I plowed through a can of tuna, and then I had some peaches, and I felt almost human again.”

“Beans! Gimme.” Link made grabby hands at the half-eaten can, and Rhett handed it to him with another chuckle. 

“Go slow,” Rhett reminded him. “Don’t puke.”

“I know, I know.”

Link was accustomed to dealing with this level of starvation. He ate as slowly as he could manage, tilting the can to pour the sauce and beans straight into his mouth, until he felt refreshed and alert. When he was finished, for the first time in many weeks, his throat didn’t feel parched and papery and his stomach was actually full. Not just satisfied, but full. Energy pulsed through his limbs and he felt ready to take on the world. 

“I think that was the best meal I’ve ever eaten,” Link exclaimed, using his long tongue to try and collect the sauce remnants on the inside of the can. “Goodness, I feel amazing. Is the sun down yet?”

“Almost, I think.”

“Good, good.” Link took a deep breath, evaluating the newest developments. The most urgent needs of food, water, and shelter were taken care of, but they were still far from being out of the woods. Rhett was still suffering, and it was only going to get worse. “So what do we do now? Pack as much as we can and keep moving, after I look through those houses?”

Rhett just smiled tiredly. “Ah, Link, I don’t think so.” 

“Wait – what?”

“I’m done, man. You know it too. You can’t lie for beans.” His eyes crinkled up at the corners in amusement at this pun. “You go ahead and look, and then come back here for one more day to hang out with me. Eat up while you can and take off on your own the next night.”

Link felt his jaw clench. “I’m not leaving. I’m not gonna leave. I’m gonna find a way to fix this no matter what. Fix _you._ ”

“Come on, Link. We have to face reality.”

“No matter what,” he emphasized fiercely.

Rhett shook his head. “You always were too dang stubborn. You know it’s the only way. Hey – do you think these are cherry preserves?” he asked, switching the subject suddenly. He held up a jar for Link’s inspection.

Link ignored this lousy distraction. He stood up and stretched. “I’m gonna go search, find you some medicine. Even a bottle of alcohol or somethin’ to wash your arm in.” _Or a damn bone saw,_ that cruel voice in his head added. _Stop clinging to false hope. Even Rhett thinks you’re being foolish._

“’Kay,” Rhett obviously decided not to call him out on the futility of the mission. “I’ll stay here. I just want to take a nap. That food made me tired again.” Slowly, he sat down and leaned his back against the wall. “Don’t look so worried. I told you I feel way better than I did. I’m not hallucinating anymore. Must’ve been the starvation and dehydration makin’ the fever worse. We’ll still have a whole day to hang out before you go.”

Link ignored that, too. “Keep drinkin’ water, okay?” Link only hesitated for a second before leaning down to kiss Rhett’s damp forehead, then helped him settle onto his back. The smaller man tucked the blanket around his friend’s body and then folded his own sheet into a thin pillow, which he slid beneath the sandy head to provide what little comfort he could. “I’ll be right back,” he promised. 

The clear purple twilight was descending over the world as Link stepped outside. He took a deep breath, listening to the whispering of the sand as it moved with the strong wind. Suddenly he was aware that his bladder felt ready to burst. Link circled around to the back of the barn to pee into the sand, weirdly grateful for the distraction. His brain felt like it was full of bouncing rubber balls frantically pinging around, each with its own individual worry. 

A groan tumbled from his lips as he got his pants open and let go. It was ridiculous, really, the weird things he missed. Peeing normally, without worrying about the fluid being lost or what colour it was, checking his level of dehydration. Or not having to aim into a little pot so they could boil the gross stuff in a solar still and collect droplets of steam that trickled into a dirty cup for drinking water. Link finished his business with a great sigh of relief, and only then did he notice the distinct, fresh tire tracks cutting through the sand. They came from the village and headed off into the desert along what might have been a riverbed or a road or an old trail.

Link’s heart pounded and his palms grew sweaty. Looters had been here, and recently. Maybe while they had slept. Cautiously, he began to follow the tracks towards the humble group of houses, fully aware that he was leaving his own footprints but knowing he had nothing to sweep them away. The sand would obscure them soon enough. When he’d gotten far enough that he noticed that he could no longer see the barn, Link stopped, afraid to leave Rhett alone. What in the world was he supposed to do now? What if there were still people looking through one of the houses? They might be friendly, but they also could very likely be sick with the red death, or quick to kill. Cannibalism was not unknown in these desperate times, nor were other inhuman acts of savagery.

But the village looked empty and none of the houses appeared to have had been broken into. Such a bland and featureless town this was. Even before the country’s fall, this must have been a miserable place to live. Stealing glances left and right to ensure he was still alone, Link crept up to the nearest two-story rat trap and circled the property. The windows had sheets or blankets hung over them, but that didn’t mean there were any people living inside. When the climate had started to get out of whack, a lot of people had covered their windows in such a fashion. Likely there had been survivors here, once upon a time. Probably they were dead now. It was as silent as the grave, no pun intended.

Link was seized by the sudden, surreal feeling that he was still dreaming. The air was too still and his body felt weirdly on edge, skin prickling and hair standing up. _Weird_ was the only way he could describe it. Probably, he deduced, it was because it was the first time he’d ever walked around like this alone. Rhett was always by his side. Always. 

Was this how it was going to be from now on, assuming he survived long enough? The isolation threatened to choke him, and the constant howling noise of the wind could drive anyone mad. No wonder they’d seen so many single people kill themselves. It was always the ones with family and friends who attempted to survive. Link reached down in his heart for that one feeling he could always count on to carry him through when his thoughts took a turn for the dark side. That feeling was hope – and it just wasn’t there. It left a Rhett-sized hole in his heart.

Link’s mouth twisted briefly, but he swallowed down the urge to scream. A glimmer at his feet caught his eye, and he bent down automatically to see what it was. At closer inspection he was startled to find that it was a crushed Coke can, and the normalcy of it made him smile without much amusement. 

The smile quickly withered and died when he saw the butt of a cigarette beside it.

The end was still smoking faintly.

“What do we have here?” a strange voice cut through the air. “Who are you?”

Link jumped about a foot in the air and whipped around to see a hulking red-haired man that had managed to creep up behind him from around the side of the house. Terror seized him. The man had a brown freckled face and hard features, with light ginger eyebrows and coppery facial hair. Maybe forty-five years old or thereabouts. He was not as tall as Rhett, but still well over six feet, broad-shouldered with the fit, vascular arms of a weightlifter gone slightly to seed with age. Not that anyone was lifting weights these days. Thoughts raced through Link’s mind as he tried to analyze the smile on the man’s thin lips. It was definitely not friendly, yet not completely aggressive. He looked healthy enough – no sign of the sickness – but there was a certain interest in those squinted, deeply set eyes that made Link’s stomach twist and turn.

“Hi,” Link said, forcing his face into what he hoped was a friendly look. “I’m sorry, I was just exploring…”

“You the one that broke into my barn?” the man interrupted. “You thievin’ bastard!”

“That was your barn?” Link asked stupidly, eyes darting around for an escape route as he took a step backward.

“Well, fuck me, you’re a genius,” the huge man growled. “I just said that, didn’t I? Yup, this is my village. You broke in through the window, huh? Raided our food stash?”

 _Uh oh._ It wasn’t like he could deny it. Link swallowed hard, wondering what the man was going to do to him. “Yes.”

“Just you, eh?”

“Yeah.”

“Travelling alone? That ain’t too smart now, is it?” The stranger cocked his head to the side, waiting for Link to respond. When all he got was silence, he took another two steps towards Link. “Is there someone still in the barn?” he asked, his voice low and threatening.

Link hesitated. Should he lie? If the guy was gonna kill him, Rhett might have a chance to hide before he was killed, too. _Hide where?_ he asked himself a bit frantically. _The man can barely walk and you think he’s gonna be able to escape somewhere on his own?_ And if this stranger wasn’t already planning on killing Link, the lie might anger him enough to prompt him into doing so. 

“I – ” he stuttered out, and then cursed at himself. He was a crappy liar, just like Rhett said. “Yes,” he said with a sigh. “My friend is in there.”

“I know.” A deep belly laugh. Link wanted to punch him. “My friends already found him. Just testin’ you. Good thing you’re honest.”

Link’s stomach turned over. “Is he okay? What did you do to him?”

“Whoa, now! We ain’t savages, he’s fine. One of my boys might’ve roughed him up a bit, but hey, he’s a big guy and you gotta protect your own. Made sure he was unarmed, that’s all. You’d do the same, wouldn’t you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Guess you wanna see him? Go on, move it. Back to the barn.”

“Please,” was all Link could manage, wondering how badly they’d hurt Rhett. How much more could the big man endure? The redhead motioned with an arm for Link to go first. As he passed, Link shot the other man a quick evaluating glance and noticed the gun holster at the man’s side. _Oh, dear God._

Was he going to shoot them both outside where it wouldn’t make a mess? Make them walk a ways from the village to save the trouble of dragging away their bodies? Would he have to watch Rhett go first? Was this how their journey ended? His anxiety was making him sick, but there was nothing else to do but move along as ordered. Slowly, the brunet began to follow his own footsteps back to where he’d started. 

_At least we had one last good meal._

A cry of “Link!” snapped him out of his morbid thoughts. Link looked up to see Rhett standing just outside of the barn in front of a small group of people, one of whom loomed over the tall blond from behind threateningly. Rhett didn’t look as though he’d been beaten up or otherwise harmed, but Link didn’t like the way they were surrounded like this. He could tell that Rhett was trying very hard to hide his injured arm, to look more tough than he was. 

Just last night the man had been almost dead, calling Link by his wife’s name and barely able to walk. Link felt a rush of pride for his friend’s strength. He ignored the muttering onlookers and rushed forward to embrace Rhett like they hadn’t seen each other in years. Frantically, both men stepped apart at arms length and searched each other’s eyes. Rhett still looked worn and tired, but there was no sign that he’d been assaulted. 

“Did they do anything to you?” Link demanded softly. “Are you okay?”

Rhett shook his head. “They just patted me down. Took my knife and looked through my pack.”

“Your arm – ” whispered Link, as quietly as he could, feeling a slow burn of anger deep in his stomach.

“Only jostled it a bit. Hurts like crazy but I didn’t let ‘em know it. Gotta be tough, right?”

Link nodded jerkily and hugged him again, admiring his friend’s bravery for the millionth time. “We’re in a bit of a situation, huh?” he muttered, and Rhett made a face in agreement. 

“Alright, little lovebirds, I told ya I didn’t hurt nobody,” the redhead interjected. “We need to talk, fellas.” 

Reluctantly, Link turned away to face the group of villagers, who formed a rough semi-circle around the two men. They were all visibly armed and looked tough as nails. The redhead who had accosted Link appeared to be their leader, and he took his place front and centre, arms crossed over his chest.

“So how’re you two gonna pay for the damage you did, and the food you took?” he asked bluntly.

Rhett and Link looked at each other, neither of them knowing what to say. “We have nothing,” Rhett finally said, his voice hoarse. “Just our clothes, our backpacks…”

“We know,” a Hispanic man with black eyes and round cheeks muttered. “We searched your shit. Try harder.”

“Shut up, Hector. Well, boys, it seems to me like you oughta have somethin’ to trade,” the large redhead said. “You’re trespassin’ on my property and you took our food and our water. If I killed you both, some folks would call it mercy. Lucky for you, I’m a nice guy. I don’t wanna kill nobody. How are we gonna fix this little problem?”

“We didn’t mean to take anything,” Rhett said hurriedly, stepping forward to grip Link’s elbow in warning. The smaller man had gone rigid, and Rhett was well acquainted with Link’s tendency to start fights and say things that ended with him getting into trouble. “And we don’t have anything to give you. We’re sorry. We’ll leave right after the sun goes down.”

“Rhett,” Link hissed. “One more night, we need one more night to rest up, you know we do, we need to do somethin’ about your arm! You’re barely standin’ up.” He addressed the other group more loudly. “Can we please spend one more night here? Just to sleep in your barn again. We don’t need to take anything else from you.”

A couple of them laughed. The burly redheaded leader shook his head with a wry smile. “You’re a real piece of work, aren’tcha? You break into our barn, eat our food, and now you want a free place to squat so you can get some more beauty sleep?” He shook his head, bemused. “Get a load’a this, Hector, Greg.” He gestured at the short, muscular Latino and the forty-something man with a bald head and a startling resemblance to Mr. Clean. “These guys think we’re gonna take ‘em in outta the goodness of our hearts.”

The cronies laughed dutifully and Redhead went on. “Tell you what, I’ll let you stay if you can work off your debt. What can you do? You know your way around cars? We could use some mechanical work. Our truck’s been actin’ up and we need that sucker for supply runs. We got a car too but it can’t haul much.”

“Well…I could take a look…” Link began lamely, stalling for time as he frantically searched his mind for some service he could offer, some way to prove his usefulness. He didn’t know anything about fixing trucks. He could change tires and pump gas and do basic repairs, but he was no mechanic, and neither was Rhett. 

“Wait a minute, Roy,” Hector said. “That one’s hurt or sick or somethin’, look!” He pointed at Rhett, who grimaced and shot an apologetic look at Link.

The leader – Roy – put a hand to the gun at his belt, and Link couldn’t help but cry out, “No!”

“If you brought the red death into my village,” Roy said flatly, “he dies right now, and you can go dig his grave and yours before I shoot you too. Jesus-fucking-Christ! What’s next?”

“He’s not sick!” Link blurted, horrified at man’s callousness. “Please! It’s just a cut. It wasn’t serious, but it’s gotten infected.”

“Gangrene?” a skinny straw-haired man asked with faint interest. “We got an axe. Larry ‘n me will help hold him down.”

“God! No, it’s – not that bad, not yet.” Link was fully, horribly aware at what they would have to do if things _did_ get that bad. Rhett’s face had gone pale with fear at the suggestion, and it spurred Link’s need to take action. “We need antibiotics,” he said firmly. “Something to clean the wound with. We were searching…” He was frantic. _Supply runs, they said, they have a car, they could find something, a pharmacy or whatever, if only we had some-fucking-thing to give them in return!_ Link had to literally bite his tongue to keep from pleading, yelling, and screaming all at once.

Roy looked him up and down. “We got some penicillin, and Mason’s good at flushin’ and stitchin’ wounds – he was a paramedic – but that shit ain’t cheap,” he said, as if they didn’t know. “You’re already in debt. You two better figure out a game plan, here. As it stands, my best offer is two free bullets between your eyes. It’d save your friend there the agony of a long slow death, and you from starvation. Somethin’ tells me you wouldn’t last too long out there on your own.” He smirked as he took in Link’s thin body. 

Conversation broke out amongst the crowd, while Rhett began asking one of the men questions about the broken truck in a falsely confident voice. Link was drowning in hopelessness, his mind racing as he tried to think of some skill or service he could learn or something he could find that would encourage the man to let them stay as long as possible. They had _penicillin_ , and someone with medical training – what were the odds? This was their only chance.

Then Roy’s eyes met Link’s, and a shocking electric jolt shook the smaller man to the core. He was being coolly evaluated in a way he’d never been before, like a farmer scanning his litter of pigs to find the runt so he could take it out and kill it. As Link stared back, Roy’s tongue flicked out to wet his lips while his hand moved subtly to cup the front of his jeans. Then he lifted the hand to his mouth and made a crude gesture with his tongue and curled hand, and smiled when Link nodded before even thinking about it, eyes wide as saucers.

“Okay,” Roy said loudly, and the conversation died. “I think I’m feelin’ nice today. Might be I’m a softie, but I think I have somethin’ in mind for the little guy to do. I got some things that need fixin’, and I think he can help.” Striding over to Link, the redhead put a comradely arm over his shoulders. The hairs on the back of Link’s neck stiffened at the touch. Rhett tensed visibly, eyes narrowing.

“Sounds good,” Link said loudly. “I, um. I can help you with – whatever you want.” He winced, consumed with fear and shame, and he prayed fervently that Rhett hadn’t noticed what Roy had so subtly suggested.

“Good, good.” Roy nodded at his cronies. “I’ll bring him in my house, show ‘im what needs to be done. You girls take a hike. Don’t you have your own shit to do?” 

Most of the guys shrugged and wandered off. Link felt a dim sense of relief that he’d only have to deal with Roy, although he still felt sick to his stomach.

“What can I do?” Rhett asked casually, struggling to maintain a straight face as if he felt fine.

“You sleep. What do we need some cripple for? Go lay down in the barn and don’t do anything stupid.”

“Should someone guard him?” the Mr. Clean-looking one asked. 

“Shit, do you need someone to guard an unarmed guy who can barely stand up straight?” Roy rolled his eyes. “What’s he gonna do? But do what you want, sissy. And you,” he said to Link, when the three men stood alone in the desert. “Meet me at that house there in half an hour.” He pointed and stomped away without another word, leaving Rhett and Link huddled together in the blowing sand.

“Come on,” Link said to him. “Let’s get you comfortable. Drink some water and try to rest up before you faint.” He tried to sound jovial and light-hearted. Rhett nodded, his brow creasing as he scanned Link’s face, aware of something unspoken. To Link’s great relief, the big man didn’t ask any further questions. Once inside the barn, he lay down peaceably and closed his eyes with a sigh. 

“Don’t worry,” Link said, smoothing Rhett’s hair from his brow. “I’ll see if I can get some of that medicine for you. I’ll figure something out. I’ll do anything for you, Rhett. You’re gonna be fine, okay?”

“Be careful,” the blond said, his voice fading. “Don’t get yourself in trouble.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Link said with fake confidence, suppressing a shudder. “I’ve got this.”

He sat down on the floor, praying that he could be as brave as Rhett. After a moment’s hesitation he laid down to spoon the handsome blond. Propped up on one elbow so he wouldn’t fall asleep and anger Roy by failing to show up, Link began to rub and massage Rhett’s tense shoulders. Rhett’s pleased little noises and the physical contact with his best friend helped soothe Link's frazzled nerves, and he tried hard to draw as much comfort and courage from Rhett’s presence while he could.


	2. Eye of the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, dangit, I went and did it again - I ended up with something so long, I had to cut it into two parts!  
> Looks like this will now be 3 chapters with a possible epilogue.

When the big man had fallen into a deep sleep and the half hour was up, Link slowly extricated himself from the bundle of dirty sheets to pad across the cool desert sand in his bare feet. The last pair of socks he owned smelled to high heaven. Link hated the way his feet quickly grew sweaty when they were jammed into the pair of Rockports he’d filched from a house in the ruins of an abandoned city. Weeks and weeks of walking had toughened his soles enough to withstand rocks and other debris, and it felt good to wiggle his toes in the soft sand. For a long moment he stood still, halfway between the barn and Roy’s house, looking out over the endless stretch of rippling desert and jagged, unfriendly rocks. The deep blue sky was a gorgeous diamond-sprinkled canopy, almost mockingly beautiful hanging over the ugly world below. After the musty odour of the barn, the fresh air smelled sweet and pure. Link tried hard to savour the beauty of the night while he could.

A strong wind whipped into action, throwing sand and grit into Link’s face, and he automatically shuttered his eyes against the onslaught. 

_“Why’re you makin’ that face, Rhett?”_

_“Have you ever seen a camel’s eyelashes?” Rhett had answered him with a grin, years and years ago now. He was making a peculiar squinting face as they walked by a construction crew working on a section of a torn-up road, dust flying everywhere and worsening the haze of the humidity and pollution in the air. “This is how they keep sand outta their eyes, Link!”_

The memory made him smile. What a good day that had been, just the two of them talking each other’s ears off with new ideas for their show as they headed out for lunch. Later that evening, they’d gotten their families together at Rhett’s house for a barbecue. Rhett had been wearing his cactus-patterned shirt, Link recalled, and Christy was stunning in a blue dress, as pretty in her late thirties as she had been on their wedding day. Funny, the way he could remember such details with perfect clarity. And yet the past seemed to have a surreal quality to it, as if Link was remembering a movie scene or a show he’d watched. All too shiny and perfect. It was almost impossible to believe how good things had been, once upon a time.

Just three short years, and everything had changed. One day, he had everything he could desire. A family, a home, a car, endless food and water flowing right from the tap, a hospital if anyone got sick. And the next, he was forced into…into _this_ …for a roof over his head, some water, and crappy canned beans, while his best friend hovered on the edge of death. Link’s throat locked up at the thought of what he was about to do and he tried hard to overcome his fear and hopeless anger. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. It certainly couldn’t be worse than everything he’d endured so far. And just what on earth could be worse than losing Rhett?

The answer, of course, was nothing. Whatever it took, Link wouldn’t let Rhett die from some stupid little cut. Not after what they’d been through together. Not after all that Rhett had done for him. This was nothing, less than nothing, just one more bitter pill to swallow. He began to walk forward again, holding firm to the thought of his best friend. _For you, Rhett. Anything for you. I love you._

Roy was waiting for him at the door, a hood pulled over his eyes against the force of the wind. Elevated as he was, standing on the porch, he looked more massive than ever. Link shivered despite the heat.

“Evenin’,” Roy said with a short nod. “Come inside. Is your friend still okay?”

Link’s feet moved robotically up the stairs as he prayed that Roy was alone. He didn’t know what to make of Roy’s calmness. How could he be so stoic? A thin trickle of anger flooded through his body and he forced it down, knowing Roy wouldn’t be very impressed with any displays of Link’s notorious temper. “I think so. For now. He’s sleeping.” 

Roy nodded again, and opened the front door. He stepped aside to let Link in first. There was a sense of foreboding in the house’s sandy foyer, despite the quiet. Roy’s presence, his smell, it was everywhere. Link felt like an antelope walking willingly into a lion’s den. Foolish. Doomed. 

“What’s your name, anyway?” Roy sat down on a faded blue floral couch and picked up a hand-rolled cigarette. Link hovered uncertainly, watching his thick fingers delicately pinch a matchbook and raise the flame to the end of the cigarette. The coffee table was sprinkled with dry brown tobacco flakes and was in need of a good polishing. Link couldn’t bring himself to look the man in the face, so he looked around instead. The interior of the house was dishevelled but clean. Once it might have been quaint and homey. The white walls were faintly stained with blossoms of yellow, the sign of an enthusiastic indoor smoker, and the room was full of old-fashioned furniture that Link’s grandma might have liked. Wicker and wood with blue accents. Classic country style. There were clear rectangular outlines on the walls leading up the staircase, lighter and cleaner than their surroundings, like pictures had hung there for years. Link wondered if Roy used to have a family. A wife, maybe children, just like Link. Photographs of them all proudly displayed for years and taken down when they died or were taken away. Did they miss Roy? Did he miss them as bad as Link missed Christy and the kids? It didn’t seem like there was anything pleasant about the big redhead, but what had happened in the last three years could change anybody.

“My name is Link.” His voice came out stiff and formal. He didn’t want to think about Roy’s hardships. Didn’t want to humanize him too much. He certainly didn’t deserve sympathy.

Roy raised his pale eyebrows and blew a cloud of smoke to the side. “That’s your real name? Like the fairy boy from them Zelda games?”

“It’s short for my middle name.” Link didn’t feel comfortable discussing personal details, not right now. Not with _him._ “You can call me something else if you want.”

“Link,” Roy repeated slowly, rolling his tongue around the word as if tasting it. “Nah, it’s fine.” His copper-green eyes, the colour of a dirty penny, reflected the golden crescent moon hanging low in the sky outside the window as they travelled slowly down Link’s body, then back up to linger at his mouth. “Cute,” he commented offhandedly. He tapped off the ash at the end of his cigarette and looked Link right in the eyes. “So? Whaddaya say? You gonna suck my dick?” The words were blunt and cold. Link had been expecting it, but he still recoiled. 

“Yeah,” Link said in a low voice, focusing on keeping his tone steady even as his body started to shake. “So then…if I do, that guy you mentioned – the one who can treat wounds – he’ll help my friend?”

“Who said anything about that?” Roy laughed. “I told you that ain’t cheap. We’re here workin’ out the price of your room and board. You said you needed one more night, right? Plus I s’pose you’ll want more food.”

Link swallowed hard and he took a step backward. “But I thought…” he began, then faltered. “I thought this was…”

“You thought what, exactly? Thought you could solve all your problems just by gettin' on your knees? Maybe that’s worked for you in the past, honey, but not here. You think you’re the only one around these parts offerin’ yourself up?” Roy exhaled another puff of silver-blue smoke. A fine haze hung in the air, stinging Link’s eyes and burning his sensitive nostrils. “You ain’t anythin’ special,” Roy added. “Don’t get a big head, now.”

The short fuse of Link’s temper was close to blowing up. “You were the one who suggested it!” he snapped. “You cornered me – you didn’t give me a choice! You’re acting like I begged you for this!”

“No choice? Nobody made you come here. That attitude of yours is gonna get you in a lotta trouble someday. You’re lucky I kinda like you. You have any idea what my boys would do if you talked back to them like that?”

Link opened and closed his mouth like a fish, thinking furiously of all the ways he’d like to hurt Roy and his ‘boys’. “Nobody made me come here? You threatened us! So what, now we’re free to go? What about our _debt_?”

Roy shrugged. “I have to look tough out there in front of the others, but just between me and you, I’ll let you both go if you leave right now without taking anything. I’m a softie. Just make it fast and don’t come crawlin’ back the next time you need a place to stay.”

“I can’t,” Link said helplessly, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. His fury raged like a wild beast inside him. There was so much anger inside of him that he was almost frightened by it. Anger at Roy, at his ‘boys’, at God and the world, but most of all at himself. “We need…”

“Ah, there we go,” Roy interrupted. “You need something from me.” Roy spread his hands wide, as if to say _You see my predicament?_ “So we’re back to bartering. Don’t act like I’m the bad guy, here. If I gave away everything for free, I’d have nothing. Like you and the Jolly Green Giant out there. Everything has a price, _Link._ And that price is pretty damn high considerin’ what the world is like right now.”

“We barely touched your food! You have tons in the barn, and a car to go search for more!” Link objected. In these times, a vehicle was practically the equivalent of a magic wand. His palms were sweating and he wiped them on his pants.

“You know how long it took for us to collect that food hoard? Or how hard it is to find gasoline? I’ve got responsibilities. I’m tryin’ to feed my people here. They trust me. You can’t just walk into my village and take what you want and have the balls to ask for more when we catch you. You’re nothing but a little thief. Not carin’ about all the people here that are in need. Some of my boys were itchin’ to teach you a pretty brutal lesson for that.” Roy took a long drag, squinting slightly as a wisp of smoke curled up around his face. “They wouldn’t care how bad your friend was hurtin’, neither. If you’d seen the way we do justice here, you’d know he’d forget about that arm right quick after we started with him.”

“I’m not a thief! How could we have known there were people in your village? It was dark and Rhett was delirious!” Link began to protest, but something on Roy’s face made him bite his tongue. Maybe the guy wasn’t full-on crazy, but there was something off in his expression. Something _wild_ , like a feral dog that was like to snap any second. An ugly thought took root in Link’s mind and he knew instantly that it was true. This man had killed before. Maybe in defense, maybe in survival – but it had happened, and Roy hadn’t felt any remorse. Link’s anguish and Rhett’s suffering meant nothing to him either. “I meant we didn’t mean to steal, we thought there was nobody here,” amended Link quickly. Danger. This was a precarious situation. 

“Well that’s your fault, ain’t it? We weren’t hiding or anythin’. My village, my rules. I set the terms of this deal and you can take it or leave it.”

“Please, Roy,” Link burst out, hating having to beg. “I can’t go on without my friend. I just can’t. Don’t…don’t make me – ”

“I told you, I ain’t gonna force you to do anything,” Roy told him. “This is all on you, honey. You wanna walk away right now? That’s just fine.”

“I told you, I can’t,” mumbled Link. “Rhett would…he would…”

“Die? Probably, yeah.” Roy shrugged. “But I’ve seen bigger miracles. Knew someone who had to chop a leg off above the knee, and they turned out alright. ‘Course, the red death got him in the end.” The last part came out casually. “Over ninety percent of the damn planet’s population is dead. Half the country that ain’t a desert wasteland is underwater, and the other half is scorched black as tar. Ain’t you used to people kickin’ the bucket by now?”

“There must be something I could do. Something more.” Link didn’t want to say it, but he had to. The glass in the big living room window rattled hard from a fierce gust of wind, as if to punctuate Link’s words with a dramatic _bang_.

“More ‘n a blowjob?” Roy regarded him with more interest. “What exactly were you thinkin’?”

Link shook his head, horror-struck at what he was offering. His heart went from beating quickly to jackhammering almost painfully beneath his breast. Had Roy meant to corner him into this all along? Was he being truthful when he said Link had a choice? It wasn’t making sense. Saying they were free to go as long as they left now, but so insistent about getting his ‘payment’ – it was just mind games. There was something in Roy’s small eyes that suggested he liked making Link feel trapped and desperate like this. 

“Still with me?” Roy asked. “Hey, it’s okay, don’t freak out.”

The man’s calm tone drove him crazy. Link blinked rapidly. “I don’t know…I’ve never…” The room teetered and spun as he became suddenly dizzy, overwhelmed by what was happening and the sudden sense of isolation that threatened to choke him. What had he gotten himself into?

“Whoa now, don’t go and pass out on me.” Roy stood up faster than Link would have expected the big man to move. He held Link’s shoulders to steady him. “Jesus. I think we both know what you meant. Okay, you got me, I’m interested. You’ve really never done this before?” The idea seemed to please him.

“No, of course not.” Link took deep breaths through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. “I just want to get my friend better and get out of here,” he said. “Just…just tell me what to do. Whatever you want. I’ll do anything for him.” His heart ached. It was true. _You told him to trust you. You said you’d take care of him no matter what._

“Sounds good to me. So I take care of your – boyfriend?” Roy leered suggestively, waggling his eyebrows. 

“No. My friend.” _Best friend, the best man in the world. A better man than you by far._

“Whatever. So I take care of him, how ‘bout you take care of one of my friends, too?”

“I can’t – I don’t know how – what do you mean?”

Roy laughed again. The sound was beginning to make Link’s head hurt. “You can’t be this stupid for real! I mean the same way you’re about to take care of me. There’s more ‘n one way to fuck you, y’know. Or maybe your giant beanpole of a friend would help out, considerin’ it’s his own life on the line? I know he’s a little hurt, but I could be gentle.”

“No!” Link shouted at him, his temper flaring up with hurricane force. “Not him, never, you sick fuck!”

“Keep your tone civil or the deal is off,” Roy said coolly, stubbing the butt of his cigarette out in a faded coffee tin. “And put your fists down before I have to break your fingers. Jesus, I’m surprised you’ve lasted this long. I thought the idiots had died off by now. Do you need me to tell you what can happen if you make me angry?”

Link just stared at him, his vision blurred with rage. He hadn’t realized that he’d raised his fists as if ready for a boxing match. Cheeks burning, he let his hands fall limply at his sides. What was he thinking? Roy alone could probably kill him even without the gun, and he had seven people to back him up. And keeping Roy placated was the only way to keep Rhett alive.

“Apologize,” Roy ordered more sharply. “Do it now or I’ll go out there and see Blondie when I’m done with you. I bet I could work somethin’ out with him in exchange for him getting you back unharmed, don’t you think?” He leaned in closer. “Think he’d let me do ‘anything I want’ if it meant savin’ you from the beatin’ you deserve?”

“Okay, okay!” Link blurted, horrified at the idea of Rhett’s peaceful slumber being broken by such an awful threat. “I’m sorry!” 

“That’s better. Now get that bitchy look off your face, and take them clothes off.” The man’s mouth quirked in a lopsided smile as he leaned back into the couch with his hands comfortably behind his head, watching Link’s every movement.

Link tried to disconnect himself from his body as he shucked off his old sweaty shirt and his fraying jeans. He wore no underwear – he only had two pairs, and both were filthy. They could only do laundry by laying their clothes out on rocks and anchoring them in place while a storm lashed them with forceful rain. Usually, whenever they found new clothing that fit, they threw their old stuff away. Link had held on to his turquoise T-shirt, finding the old thing quite hardy. Just a regular shirt from Old Navy that he’d picked up one day while shopping for some cute clothing for their kids. Christy always liked the colour on him.

Though it was sweltering inside the house, Link felt goosebumps rise all over his arms. He didn’t want to think of his family here, with what he was about to do. It felt cheap and dirty. Link himself felt cheap and dirty.

“Nice,” Roy murmured as Link stood naked before him, eyes fixed on the ground. “Skinny, but you’ll do. Hector, what do you think?”

“Looks good from back here. I like ‘em skinny.”

Link winced as another voice came from behind him, cutting off his retreat. He’d hoped that Roy had meant his friend would come later, not that they’d both be here at the same time. Not that he was stupid enough to try and run. Where had Hector come from? Had he been here the whole time, just waiting for Link to agree to their sick deal? Would Roy let him back out now, even to choose death? The threat to bully Rhett into a similar situation instead came to the forefront of Link’s mind and he shuddered.

A passing thought crossed his mind and he seized onto it. If he went along with what the men wanted – if he didn’t let them take him down and force him into it – he could retain some measure of himself. He wasn’t going to let them take what little dignity he had left. Link would do this terrible thing, maybe not _willingly_ , exactly – but he would do it under his own power and not become a victim. He would do it for Rhett and the act would have some nobility, however disgusting.

Hector’s hands curled around Link’s ribs and slid downwards, feeling his tiny waist and slim hips. He turned and lifted Link easily to sit him on the couch between Roy’s legs. It made Link feel like nothing more than a toy. Some pathetic part of him was thankful that neither man seemed to be particularly violent or sadistic, despite their perverted desires. The touches were insistent but gentle as Hector caressed Link’s chest while Roy’s larger, rougher hands rubbed his back and shoulders, fingers raking through his long dark hair and cupping the back of his head. Link didn’t flinch away, just moved as directed, coping with the humiliation and silently praying for it to be over fast.

“Nice hair. Soft like a girl’s,” Hector commented. Link’s hair was pretty long, longer than he’d ever worn it before. He liked the way it covered the back of his neck from the sun. They had scissors and they’d cut Rhett’s hair periodically, and Link shaved when he could, since a dusty, sandy salt-and-pepper beard wasn’t much fun, and it made his face feel too warm. But he hadn’t cut his own hair in two years.

“I like it,” agreed Roy. He clutched a handful of Link’s dark hair in his fist, jerking the brunet’s head back to rest on his shoulder. Moist breath warmed his neck as Roy leaned in close. Lips on his skin, almost tender, made him want to grimace and jerk away. It felt too intimate. But he didn’t move, even when the kiss became a bruising bite.

 _It’s for Rhett, it’s all for Rhett,_ Link chanted in his mind, picturing Rhett’s face in his mind – the Rhett of earlier years, not the straggly, scarred, sun-bronzed and heavily lined face he had now. Those soft, caring green eyes, the gravity-defying hair, the mischievous little smile on those small pink lips obscured by the beard he’d worn for more than a decade. The way he could brighten up a room instantly and charm anyone he met, a beacon of trust and responsibility. Rhett didn’t need to be the tallest man in the room to attract all the attention. Link admired him so much that it hurt to know how low and useless he was in comparison. Maybe he should have worked harder in life and utilized the endless opportunities presented to him to gain some useful skill that would help them now. Something that he could have offered the men here that would make up for breaking into the barn and stealing food. Something besides his own body.

“I’d say it’s worth it,” was Hector’s judgment after he’d finished groping Link. “If he doesn’t put up a fight.”

“Oh, yeah,” Roy agreed, pushing Link to his feet so he could unbutton the fly of his pants. “What do you say, Link? Don’t fight us, and make it good, and when we’re done we’ll consider your debt gone and see what we can do for that big friend of yours. Deal?”

Link shut his eyes tightly and nodded, concentrating hard on his mental picture of Rhett.

Every part of it hurt, but the pain didn’t bother him as much as the horrendous feeling of violation that closed over his heart like a fist, throttling his soul. The men pulled Link’s hair and yanked his body every which way, coaxing his legs apart and his arms over his head. He submitted to every grope and kiss, even kissing back as they asked, feeling sick to his stomach as their lips sucked as his neck and chest. Both men were lost in arousal, their erections brushing Link’s bare skin demandingly. Four hands explored him ruthlessly, the touches made even worse by comments on his body and the whispers of what they wanted to do to him. Finally Roy’s hand found Link’s mouth and two fingers shoved their way between his lips. Link gagged but sucked on them as commanded, and did the same when he was told to kneel and the fingers were replaced with something bigger and far more nauseating.

 _It’s for Rhett, you’re doing it for Rhett._ Hector grabbed at him again with his thick grubby fingers, pulling his hips backward and making him brace himself on all fours. Link made a muffled cry as he felt the man’s slippery arousal between his cheeks, so terribly intimate. Instinctively, his body jerked away, but Roy held his head in place while Hector tightened his hold on Link’s hips painfully. Effectively pinned in place, he could do nothing but squeeze his eyes shut and take it, even as his body screamed in protest at the intrusion. It took all of Link’s strength not to gag or pass out at the shock of pain that accompanied the violation.

It seemed to go on for hours, though he knew that it couldn't have been more than twenty-five minutes. Later, when he tried to remember everything that happened, he realized that his brain simply blanked most of it out. The two men took him every way possible, laughing like loons when he complied meekly with their requests and demands, making him use his hands and his mouth. He never said no, never complained or struggled. Link was not going to let them make him a victim. He refused to give them the satisfaction of watching him break down.

When they were finished, Link lay on the sofa, limp as a rag doll. It had been a long time since he’d truly prayed for anything – the horrors he’d seen hadn’t exactly strengthened his faith in God – but he prayed now, lips moving softly around his words of supplication. _Please, make them go away and leave me alone, let it be over for good. Please let Rhett be okay._ There was nothing to stop one of the others from coming in and taking advantage of him again as he lay here naked and shivering. Nothing to stop them from killing him, either, if Roy and Hector decided they wanted more and Link tried to fight. 

Link heard rustling noises and the low murmur of friendly chatter between the two men as they got dressed. Flick of a match being struck, the stink of sulphur and then tobacco. Hector thanked Roy for the cigarette and the ‘invitation’ to come over tonight and Roy said something Link didn’t catch, followed by a chuckle. The glowing embers of Link’s temper flared brightly for an instant – how could they act so flippant after what they’d taken from him? The constant fear of the men reneging on their deal forced him to remain silent, his aching body trembling with barely contained fury and thrumming with exhaustion. 

When a hand shook Link’s shoulder, he could barely bring himself to groan in response. 

“Your clothes,” Roy said, and dumped them on top of Link’s curled up body. “You alright there, honey? Want some help getting dressed?”

“I’m fine,” Link growled, imagining the ugly man’s head impaled on a spike. Feebly, he tugged the pile of fabric over his nakedness as best as he could, feeling too weak to actually stand up and dress himself. All he wanted was to be alone so he could cope with what had just happened. 

“Tired, eh? Well go ahead and sleep if you want. Shit, we wore you out, huh? I got important things to do so I don’t mind you sleepin’ here for a bit. Look – you still awake? Mason is gonna go get your friend and see to that arm, and give him some of the good shit. You did good, real good.”

“Pleasure doin’ business with you,” Hector added, punctuating his sentence with a short mocking laugh before following Roy to the door. “Got any of that whiskey left, Roy?” he called ahead, before the door slammed shut and cut out all the noise outside. 

Link curled up more tightly as if he could make himself disappear. A whimper escaped his lips as his body tried to deal with the newest round of pain. Could he even stand up and walk to the barn right now? He ought to be there for Rhett when they treated the wound. It was gonna hurt. Rhett would be frightened and so alone, surrounded by strangers in his time of need, desperately trying not to show any vulnerability. Biting his tongue to keep from crying out in pain as his arm was cleaned and stitched. He shouldn’t have to be alone. But Link felt so lifeless and numb, and the sofa was so comfortable despite its scratchiness and musty smell. 

Unconsciousness stole over him quickly and he sank into darkness.

**

The first thing on Link’s mind when he woke up was Rhett, as usual. The second feeling that registered was an uncomfortable soreness deep inside himself, shooting pain upward into his abdomen. It was so disorienting to wake up without the feeling of his friend’s body next to his that he thought for a second that he was still dreaming before reality sank in and he remembered where he was. Naked and alone in Roy’s house, come dried tacky between his thighs. Link had the sense that he had been sleeping for a very, very long time. What time was it? Why hadn’t anyone come and dragged him out of the house yet? And most importantly, where was Rhett? Alarm bells began to ring in Link’s head and he sat up quickly, which proved to be a mistake. He gasped out loud at the pain that lanced through his rear. More memories of the previous night came flooding back and his face twisted into a disgusted grimace.

_Maybe Rhett died and nobody bothered to tell you. Maybe they didn’t even check on him. Maybe they never planned to help him at all, and they just wanted to play with you. Maybe nobody woke you up because they’re gonna keep you here as long as you live, as Roy’s personal slave. And they know you wouldn’t run away on your own._

All these _maybes_ would drive him nuts if he didn’t gather his wits and focus. It was pointless to think of every possible negative scenario. He had to find out for himself. Link shook his head to clear it. He swung his legs over the side of the couch, testing his strength and seeing if he would be able to walk. Everything seemed in working order and he was able to get to his feet and walk slowly over to the front door. Through the small window, Link observed the sun-baked village, plain and ugly, all browns and yellows and dusty grays. So drab under the pure sapphire sky. It was daylight, but he had no way of knowing exactly what time it was. He’d passed out at maybe nine PM, and it looked like it could be five or six o’clock the next evening at least. How on earth had he slept for so long?

“Rhett,” he said out loud, fighting the urge to panic. “You better be alright, man. If they touched you…if they hurt you…” _I’ll fucking kill them._

Link struggled valiantly against the sudden urge to cry. Rhett would know he’d been crying, and Link didn’t feel like answering any of the questions he’d inevitably be asked. There was no reason to let Rhett know what had happened. No reason for anybody to know that Link was too useless to do anything to save his life but bend over for a couple of dirtbags in exchange for some sketchy ‘paramedic’ who somehow got a hold of antibiotics – or so said dirtbags claimed. For all he knew, ‘Mason’ was an unemployed meth dealer who looted a pharmacy when the American government finally fell apart and happened to find something he thought would work on infected wounds. Why would anyone but a fool travel with men like Roy and Hector?

And maybe it was even worse. Maybe the other men had simply taken Rhett the same way their leader had taken Link, encouraged by how the tall man was too weak and injured to fight them off. Maybe while Link slept cosily on this sofa, his best friend was being gang raped on the floor of the filthy barn, screaming in agony as they jostled his wounded arm. Terrifying images flashed through his brain. He knew what mob mentality could do – he’d seen it before, in the aftermath of the terrible event three years ago. Normal people turned suddenly into beasts, fighting with bricks and broken bottles in the streets over food or a place to sleep. He’d heard about what happened to countless women, and some men too, at the hands of roving mobs of half-crazed survivors with nothing to lose. And if Roy’s friends were anything like him…

“Dangit, don’t think like that,” Link muttered out loud, rubbing his palm over his prickly face. He dressed quickly, steeling his nerves until he could find the courage to push open the front door. It gave an angry squeak from its ancient rusty hinges and slammed behind him so loudly that the sound echoed like a gunshot. The sand burned the soles of Link’s bare feet as he walked, but he barely felt it through all his other aches and pains. Though he knew it was only his imagination, Link felt as though he could still taste the two men on his filthy tongue. Bile burned the back of his raw throat and he swallowed it back. _Stop thinkin’ about it and be strong for Rhett,_ he ordered himself once again. Link’s heart thumped hard in his chest as he slowly opened the door of the barn, forcing a neutral expression on his face.

It took a few moments for his sun-blinded eyes to adjust to the darkness within. He blinked rapidly as his heart pounded in his ears, loud as a drum. Then he gasped. Curled up by the far wall, his back to the door, lay Rhett, seemingly unconscious. Or dead.

The world came crashing down.

Link wanted to scream, to tear his hair out by the roots. His knees actually buckled and he shot an arm out just in time to catch himself from falling over entirely. Gripping the splintery wooden doorframe as hard as he could, Link somehow found his footing and began to run to the body of his best friend. _No, they promised, they said they would help him! Oh, God, and he was alone – oh, Rhett, oh…_ He opened his mouth to scream and nothing came out but a whimper.

Then Rhett rolled over easily, blinking at the sunlight streaming in from the open door. Link gasped again, barely believing what his eyes were telling him. The sickly ashy colour in Rhett’s face was gone, replaced with a healthy-looking glow. Though he still looked older than his forty-one years, and his eyes were ringed with dark blue circles, the man still looked better than he had for a long time. A huge smile broke out over his face when he saw who was standing before him. “Link! Oh man, it’s good to see you.”

“You’re okay,” Link whispered when he found the power to speak, hardly daring to believe his eyes. Had Roy really kept his end of the bargain? “Your arm…did they…” His balance wavered again. 

“Yup. They fixed me right up. Feels ten times better. Look.” Rhett carefully reached down to peel back the layer of actual bandages. They were bloodstained, but the gash itself looked clean and had been neatly stitched. But the man’s forearm now featured a terrible-looking gouge three times as wide as the cut had been. Link gasped and covered his mouth with a hand.

“The stitching looks good,” he said haltingly, “but…gosh, what did they have to do? Cut out the infected stuff?”

“Yeah.” Rhett winced at the memory. “Hurt like hell. I won’t be able to use the arm the same way anymore, but Mason said I’d probably only have issues with fine motor skills. I don’t think I care too much about not bein’ able to write or draw or whatever.”

“Didn’t they give you any painkillers or anesthetic before doin’ that?” Link asked, horrified. 

“I got two Tylenol. Said there wasn’t much they could do about the pain. They offered me moonshine but I was worried I’d just barf it back up.” Rhett shrugged one shoulder. “It wasn’t too bad when he flushed it out, but then he said he’d have to excise a bunch of tissue, and that sucked. I was yellin’ so loud I thought I’d go deaf and had to be held down for it, and I passed out at the end. There was so much pus and nasty stuff in there that one of the guys had to run outside and throw up. But when I woke up it wasn’t throbbing like before, and I feel clearheaded for the first time in ages. I gotta take out the stitches myself later, and that won’t be fun – but hey, it’s better than losin’ the arm. Whoa, whoa – are you cryin’? Link,” Rhett laughed as tears suddenly welled in his own eyes. “No, no, don’t! If you cry I will too – oh dammit!”

Link couldn’t help it. He let out a sob and fell to his knees beside his best friend, hugging him so tightly he was amazed Rhett didn’t yell in pain again. The tall man only laughed and sat up enough to hug him back, stroking the back of Link’s head when the brunet pushed his face into Rhett’s chest to breathe in his familiar scent.

“You did it, man,” Rhett said, voice muffled by Link’s unruly mop of dark hair. “You got us through this mess. Everything’s gonna be alright, buddy.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Link mumbled into Rhett’s shirt. “Oh gosh, I was scared. Oh…oh…gosh. Your arm, your poor arm…and you bein’ so brave, I wish I coulda been there with you…” He couldn’t articulate everything he wanted to say, so he just held the large man closer and hoped Rhett understood. Guilt raged through him.

“Me too,” Rhett confessed. “It would have been less scary if you were here. I was worried when you weren’t back sooner. But Roy said you were okay, and since he did help me out I didn’t question it. But jeeze, Link! When I think of how bad off I was…my head was getting so woozy near the end. It hurt so damn bad, and I was so thirsty and tired. I barely remember coming here. I remember thinkin’ I was gonna faint or just collapse and not be able to walk, and you would’ve had to have just left me there. If we hadn’t found this place, I’d be long dead.” 

Link shivered just thinking about it. “We got lucky.” Sheer dumb luck, that was all. Link’s foolishness had almost been the end of them both.

“Yeah. Those guys were mean at first, but I guess Roy said something to them, ‘cause they fed me and filled our canteens up. They gave us a few supplies for the road, too.” Rhett pointed to an assortment of cans and bars stacked by the door. “It ain’t much but it’ll carry us on through another day at least until we find more.”

“I could use something right now before we go,” Link admitted, aware of the hunger pangs shooting through his body. “I haven’t eaten in a while.” Spying what looked like a granola bar, Link let go of Rhett and headed over to pick it up. 

Behind him came a noise of concern. “You’re limping. Are you hurt?”

“Uh, yeah, but I’m fine.” Link’s voice shook but he strained to keep it sounding normal. Forcing an honest, blank look on his face, he turned and added, “Turned my ankle funny on those porch stairs, that’s all.” He bent over the small pile of foodstuffs and let his long hair hide his expression, not daring to turn around lest Rhett see the lie clearly on his face. “Wow,” he said with false enthusiasm. “It’s an oatmeal bar. When was the last time I had one of these?”

Rhett wasn’t fooled for an instant. “Link, buddy, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Link said brightly, tearing open the wrapper with trembling hands and taking a small bite. It tasted like concrete in his mouth but he forced himself to chew and swallow. “Why would somethin’ be wrong? I feel great. Let’s just worry about you. We can get moving as soon as the sun goes down!” When he mustered the courage to turn around, he saw immediately that Rhett still wasn’t buying his act.

“Something’s up with you,” the larger man accused. “You’re hiding something.” 

“What are you talkin’ about? I’m fine.” Link crossed his arms over his chest. His heart began to beat more quickly, bringing a flush to his face. Sweat beaded at the back of his neck.

“What’s that on your arm?” Rhett’s eyes narrowed. “How did you get that bruise?”

Link looked at it, a small reddish purple smudge on his forearm. “I…it’s old, I don’t know. Who cares?” He rubbed at it irritably. “We’ve always got bruises and stuff.”

“Nah, man, that’s fresh. It looks like somebody grabbed you, hard. Let me see.” Rhett got to his feet and Link backed away, horrified. “Hey, what did those guys do to you?”

“Rhett, no, sit back down, you’ve gotta take it easy!” Link grabbed for Rhett’s wrist as it came close, but Rhett was stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be. His big hands pushed up Link’s faded turquoise shirt, and Link cried out as the touch on his bare skin unleashed the flood of memories of the previous night’s events. He struggled as Rhett tried to get the shirt over his head, but it was futile. Rhett may have been weakened by his ordeal but nothing could deter him from finding out what was ailing his friend.

“Rhett, come on, stop,” Link pleaded. “Stop! I’m fine, really – stop it, Rhett! No, please, don’t look at me, don’t…” Nothing that had happened so far scared him as much as the thought of Rhett knowing what he’d gone through back in Roy’s house. The tight neck of the shirt came up and over his head and the dirty garment fell to the floor. Rhett’s hands suddenly dropped away and the blond sucked in a sharp breath of air. Link remembered all the ugly dark hickeys on his collarbone, the finger-shaped bruises on his hips, the bite mark on his shoulder, the way Hector’s black, sweaty, stinking hair had brushed against his lips as he mouthed wetly over Link’s Adam’s apple. His arms hugged around himself protectively, as if he could cover all the marks from Rhett’s wide-eyed gaze. 

“What the fuck.” Rhett’s voice came out in a rough bark. “What…Link…”

Link shook his head, unable to speak.

“Who did this?” his best friend asked blankly. “Why would you…Did Roy…did he – ” His mouth curled around the word, but couldn’t seem to get it out. “When you were doin’ his chores, did he try to force himself on you?” Rhett’s eyes began to darken with rage. “What did he do! Tell me!”

“It wasn’t like that,” Link had to say. “It wasn’t…I knew what he wanted. It wasn’t by force, not really.”

Rhett blinked rapidly. “You _wanted_ it?”

“No! God!” Link ejaculated furiously. “How could you even think somethin’ like that! Who do you think I am?”

“What am I supposed to think?” bellowed Rhett. “It wasn’t by force?! What the hell did you do?” Link flinched backwards, startled by the sudden shouting that was so unlike the gentle giant. Rhett looked even more furious as he clapped a hand over his mouth and rubbed his lips roughly. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. Just tell me what happened. _Please._ ”

“Does it matter? Just leave me alone, man! I don’t want to think about it, okay?” Link grabbed his shirt angrily and pulled it back over his head. Why couldn’t Rhett just back off and forget about it? Deep down, though, he knew he couldn’t blame the man. If the situation was reversed and Rhett was trying to hide something from him, Link would never be able to drop the subject. 

“Of course it matters!” Rhett shouted at him, unable to stop himself from raising his voice again. “Why did you do it?”

It threw Link off balance. Rhett never yelled at him like this. He curled his body in on himself and stared at Rhett’s feet. “No, it doesn’t. It’s over. You don’t have to know…”

“You’re my best friend, Link! We don’t keep secrets from each other. How could you think it doesn’t matter?”

“I did it for _you_ , okay?” Link burst out. “There was no other way! I fucked up, I let you down, I was a fool, and I had to fix it! I let him do it for you!”

“For me, what the fuck?” Rhett’s hands raked through his hair desperately, eyes wild. “Let him do what, exactly?”

“How do you think I paid off our debt? What the hell do you think he wanted, askin’ me to come to his place like that? Do I look like I can do manual labour? Or that guys that tough would have any use for me?”

“Wait a minute. You – you got them to fix my arm by – ” Rhett coloured and he looked suddenly ill again. “You actually – ” His features froze in a twisted expression. “You’re limping because – ”

“You boys about to set off?” Roy’s voice cut through the air, and Link made a short cry of surprise and fear as he whipped around to see the big redhead standing in the doorway. Adrenaline flooded him and he instantly tried to look tough and composed. He didn’t like the way Roy looked at Rhett, a challenging, calculating evaluation on his piggy face. 

When neither man answered, Roy looked at Link. “Well, aren’t you happy? Your friend is all better now. I kept my end of the bargain, just like I said. A fair transaction.” He smiled. “Everything’s got a price. You’d do well to remember that before you go stealin’ again.”

Rhett tensed up like he was going to lunge forward. The redhead looked at him unflinchingly, and then glanced at Link as if weighing the tension between them. His face filled with sudden amusement. “The sun’s goin’ down in maybe half an hour. Got your supplies? Good. Gimme my barn back already, ya damn thieves.”

“We’re leaving right now,” Rhett muttered tensely, hatred etched on every line of his face, making him look hard and ugly and dangerous in a way Link had never seen. “Don’t worry, we don’t want to stick around.” He stared Roy down, his gaze so heated that Link could almost physically feel it. He half-expected smoke to start rising from Roy’s shirt from the fiery stare. There was no question in his mind that if Roy had been a lone predator, Rhett would have taken him on then and there, not caring about his own weakness or lack of weapons.

Roy looked more closely at him, squinting a little as he registered Rhett’s expression. He shook his head. “How’s that for gratitude? Jeeze. Whatever – we’re square now, right? Good luck, honey,” Roy said to Link, stepping closer. For one awful second Link thought he was going to lean in to grope or kiss him. Roy’s arm even lifted as if to pat Link on the ass, but when he looked at Rhett, something in his face changed subtly and he dropped his hand back to his side and just winked. “And thanks again.”

Rhett’s face went from red to crimson and his eyes went to Roy’s gun holster before he lurched unsteadily away, refusing to look back. One hand clutched his stomach like he was trying not to be sick. Link, feeling the same way, slung his backpack over one shoulder and hurried after the tall man, furiously ignoring Roy’s mocking laughter at the sight of his limp.

“Rhett,” Link had to shout. “Slow down, man. I can’t walk so good right now.” 

Rhett slowed his pace, but didn’t answer. His head bowed low – in anger? Sheer disgust? Link caught up to him, gritting his teeth through the pain. 

“Hurry up,” Rhett said tersely without looking at him. His voice sounded slightly choked up, and it make Link’s heart hurt. He was a tough person – he had to be after the past few years or else he’d wither away – but never in his life had he needed Rhett’s sympathy and understanding so badly. “I want to be as far away from that fucking place as possible.”

Soon, the barn and the small village had disappeared behind the dunes and rocky hills, and Rhett and Link were alone together once more. Both men fell silent, and Link could barely stand it. It was almost as bad as their journey from the overpass to Roy’s village. Tears kept blurring his vision, turning the world into a crazy kaleidoscope of blue sky and yellow sand. The only thing that kept Link going was the knowledge that every step took him further away from Roy and Hector.

Rhett’s life had been spared, but what now? It was clear from his behaviour that things would never be the same. Rhett, his best friend, his everything, was obviously disgusted by him now. His worst nightmare had come true. Rhett was probably cursing his luck for ending up with someone so useless as a travelling partner. Maybe he thought Link should have been smart enough to realize the village wasn’t abandoned. If Link hadn’t been such a fool he would have seen all the signs of people, and sneaked in to quickly steal food and supplies. And hell, if he were any braver, he probably would have been able to find the antibiotics too. He would have had the element of surprise – the villagers weren’t exactly expecting anyone to come looting out in the middle of the desert. Maybe he could have even stolen the car keys so they could drive away fast to find a doctor. Rhett would have figured it all out.

It was all Link could do to keep himself from collapsing into a pathetic ball on the ground. _One foot in front of the other, just keep going,_ he told himself firmly. _It was worth it. It was all worth it, no matter how gross you are to him now. He’s still here. He deserves to be here, more than you do._

They didn’t speak all night.

The moon travelled lazily through the sky, silent and beautiful. Polaris twinkled mockingly, dangling in front of Link as it had night after night after night. Safe above the wasteland of Earth. Link wished he could be somewhere safe, too. Another planet. Another universe where none of this had happened, where he’d be at home in bed with his wife at this hour, their children sleeping peacefully down the hall. 

Link mopped sweat from his brow and wondered if they ever would make it to a safe haven somewhere. Maybe it was all a lie. Maybe north would only lead them into something worse. They’d clung to false hopes and dreams before, and every time they’d gotten burned. It had all turned to crap right before their eyes. So why wouldn’t this turn out the same way? In the beginning, they thought their country would be spared. Then Link thought that he’d at least have his family, even if so many others had lost their lives. The worst of the damage was further out east, in what was now called the Badlands – hundreds of miles of twisted, blackened earth. All life and signs of humanity had been instantly disintegrated. California had escaped most of that and the fallout as well, and Link had thanked God fervently. Then came another huge blow, when he had – probably correctly – guessed his mother’s fate as he learned the news of his home state. By that terrible day months later, when his wife and children were taken from him, most of the old outgoing, fun-loving Link was gone for good. After that, the promise of a safe government facility seemed like their last chance for happiness. He had Rhett by his side, and he’d even made some other friends there, and they were all as happy as they could be for a time. Until the inevitable disaster struck yet again.

Why wouldn’t this last journey could prove just as futile?

Link’s thoughts raced in endless circles. He went from angry, to sad, to intensely self-critical, back to anger. The marks on his body seemed to be burning, every step reminding him of what he’d let the men do and filling him with hatred for himself. _You walked right into a trap, you useless idiot. You told Rhett to trust you and you just strolled into the village, bold as brass. A village covered in signs of people. Everything good that did happen was dumb luck. You didn’t even know if there was gonna be food there, and you hit the dumbass lottery when you found out they had a doctor. Useless whore. Unworthy friend. He hates you now and it's all your fault._

Rhett’s measured footfalls padded rhythmically across the sand to his left, the only clue Link had that he wasn’t alone. 

His own tears blinded him to the fact that Rhett was crying, too.


	3. Rising Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, everyone! Thank you so much for all the love here and on tumblr. You guys rock!

The endless night dragged on as Link fought a war with his own mind, descending further into hell with each step he took.

The only reason that he hadn’t fallen apart immediately after the awful act forced upon him back in the village was that his concern for Rhett was greater than his concern for himself. Link had temporarily been able to suspend his personal anguish in order to focus on Rhett and to make sure the big man was in no danger of dying. Now that distraction was gone. Rhett was alive and well, and Link had to face himself again. Cut off from the last person in the world who meant a damn thing to him, Link’s self-criticism spiralled out of control. Combined with his frenetic manner of thinking, his mind became a dangerous place. Eventually Link managed to convince himself that everything that had been done to him was his own fault.

For many hours he lost track of time entirely. Rhett’s physical closeness was all but forgotten and Link walked through the desert alone. He’d spent years now barely washing, always wearing clothes that were stained with sweat and muck, but never had he felt so absolutely filthy. Tainted. Worthless. Every mistake he’d ever made seemed to bubble up from the depths of his memory until he felt lower than a worm crawling in the dirt.

Rhett’s silence was like a knife in Link’s belly. The memory of the man’s horrified face when he’d learned the truth of Link’s bargain made it feel like that knife was being twisted inside him, tearing his entrails and driving inexorably upwards to his heart. 

Strangely, he didn’t feel sad. Maybe all his sadness had been used up after his family was ripped away from him. Anger he had in plenty, however, and this anger fed off of itself and multiplied like a virus inside him. The anger was not directed at Rhett. In Link’s mind, Rhett could do nothing wrong. Their adventure had made him realize just how deeply he loved the tall man, practically worshiped him. Rhett was a part of him – the good part. _Too good for you. He doesn’t deserve you as a friend. What a curse for him, having to put up with you._

Link wished he could just scream and scream until this boiling anger stopped choking him. He hated himself so much.

Bargaining with Roy was disgusting enough, but the way the men had acted during the awful event itself scared him deeply. It would have been almost easier to tolerate had the men been abusive and temperamental. That would have been understandable, at least. There was good and there was evil, and when things were very clearly one or the other, it was a simple matter. If they were evil, Link couldn’t be blamed. Remembering how Roy had apparently taken down framed photographs from his walls, perhaps his way of dealing with the grief of losing a family – and surely with a house that size, he didn’t live alone, he _must_ have had a wife if not kids too – compared to the horrible way he had threatened to coerce Rhett into sex was incomprehensible. He had enjoyed holding Rhett’s survival over Link’s head to get what he wanted, and yet he had ordered Hector to be more gentle and slow down. He’d murmured compliments in a sweet voice, stroking Link’s long hair as he knelt on the floor naked. It was baffling. Link had always been able to see the good in people but now his faith in humankind was shaken. Were all people such beasts, tamed only by strictly enforced laws of an established society? Could Link become such a beast himself one day if the world kept hurling these obstacles at him? With a shudder, he recalled how quickly his own city had been driven to madness. He’s seen neighbours he’d known for years shouting and smashing windows to steal everything they could lay their hands on. Broken pipes and jagged glass bottles in bloody hands, bodies strewn in the streets, blood splattered on the sidewalks…

A brave few had grabbed guns and tried to fight for justice, to stand up for the weak and protect the children and the elderly. Link was not among them. Clearly, he wasn’t as brave as he thought he was. Then Link had gone into Roy’s house thinking that he could simply pull the tough and silent act and come through feeling noble, but that was a crock of shit all along. He should have known that he was nothing more than a coward at heart.

The noise of the hissing sand moving with the force of the wind sounded like someone hissing _yeesssss_ , agreeing with Link’s assessment of himself.

His thoughts turned abruptly to the spiritual. Looking up at the sky, Link wondered for the millionth time whether or not God really existed. His eternal presence was something Link had taken for granted since he could remember. It had been very easy to believe in God in his youth; despite his occasional yearning for a more ‘normal’ family like Rhett’s and his own social anxieties, his childhood had been a happy one. His mother had taught him to work hard, to be honest, and to trust in God’s will, and her words were echoed at church by their pastor. Link listened, and worked hard and honestly, trusting in God. It had always paid off just like everyone said. He’d gotten good grades in school, and in turn was accepted to college. After, he was hired by a good company and made a good salary. His marriage had been happy too, and when Link had asked God for healthy children, he’d been answered thrice. 

Even when the world fell to pieces, Link hadn’t completely abandoned his faith. What happened was not natural, not an act of God. It was the fault of sinful humankind, and the Red Death was a result of humans living in poor conditions and too close together. Or, as some had said, the disease was a biological weapon manufactured by the government. Link could believe that now that he knew the nature of humanity. It was the endless, illogical suffering of the years following the big event for Link’s religious convictions to waver. How could God permit ninety percent or more of his people to die? To allow whole islands to be swept beneath the sea, for people to club each other to death in a grocery store fighting over the last of the non-perishable food items? To be angry at God was a sin, but it was impossible to forgive Him for standing idly by as humanity tore itself to pieces while the rich government officials and the royalty and other big-wigs were shuttled away to safety. Was it easier to assume there was no God at all? 

But now, as Link considered his last prayer to beg for Rhett to be okay, he couldn’t help but thank God that Rhett was still alive. It certainly seemed like a miracle. Lucky breaks didn’t exist. Surely God was up there looking down on them all, and He knew just how amazing Rhett was and how hard the man had pushed himself to keep moving forward. _God helps those who helps themselves,_ his mother used to say. Link probably didn’t stand so highly in His eyes. God wouldn’t want to help those who acted carelessly while their best friend was dying. Or those who took the gifts of health, strength and intelligence and threw them away in favour of getting on their knees. Link was so filled with self-loathing that he wished he could just lay down in the sand and not get up. But he had made a promise, not so long ago, although it felt like a distant memory. 

_I’ve got you. I’m gonna take care of you. No matter what it takes._

The air was cooler than it had been in a long time. If Link hadn’t been so consumed with his own loneliness and depression, he might have felt a surge of hope that the desert might soon end. Before, Rhett would be enthusiastically consulting his mental library of knowledge of American geography to toss out ideas of where they might be and what major city might lie ahead, while Link teased and contradicted him for the sake of argument alone. Link desperately wanted to talk, but he’d almost forgotten how to make casual conversation, and probably wasn’t capable of speaking without beginning to cry like the weakling he was. 

Being silent may have felt awkward but it did help speed them up. They were making excellent time, even with their full backpacks and the rough terrain. Every slight incline had both men panting hard with exertion, but neither wanted to stop to rest. Link was so distracted that he didn’t notice his exhaustion, the sweat streaming into his eyes, or the way Rhett’s face betrayed his own inner turmoil as he suffered through many of the same self-criticizing thoughts about himself and his failures. 

A gorgeous violet colour began to creep across the sky, making the sand appear orange. The sun was coming, and they would have to find shelter. _Maybe in the shadow of one of these cliffs. A cave, maybe._ Only the brightest stars could still be seen. In the old world, the sight would have charmed Link. Everything looked like a surrealist painting of some alien planet. Now, however, the way Rhett still wasn’t meeting his eyes ruined the beautiful view and made Link’s heart feel tiny and shrivelled beneath his heaving chest. 

“Look. Over there.” Rhett’s rough voice finally broke the silence, and Link snapped to attention. The bigger man was pointing at an ugly unpainted wooden structure built in the shelter of a small rocky outcropping. It was nothing more than a simple one-room building with a small porch sheltered by an awning. “Miner’s shack?” the blond guessed with forced neutrality. He chanced a sideways look at his stone-faced companion. “Looks empty.”

“Yeah. Empty. That’s what I thought about the village back there too,” Link muttered, his bitterness making him sound almost aggressive. An awkward tension filled the air, so thick it could’ve been cut with a knife. Rhett opened and closed his mouth several times, and Link looked away, furious with himself for daring to talk to his best friend so harshly. An apology was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn’t seem to force it out. _He probably hates me so much,_ he thought miserably.

“I’ll go first,” Rhett finally said, shaking his head, and Link thought he could hear what Rhett left unsaid: _You coward._

The door was unlatched, and Rhett pushed it open cautiously. With his good arm, he raised his knife in front of him as he stepped inside, ready to defend himself if necessary. Link tensed up automatically but Rhett was already lowering the blade. “Empty,” he reported. “Long empty – lots of dust. It’s sandy in here too but there’s two cots, and – oh, cool, some tools, I think. Some jars, dunno what’s in ‘em. Hard to tell in the dark. We’ll go through ‘em when it gets light enough to see.” 

“Sure,” Link forced out without enthusiasm, feeling unbearably hollow. He followed Rhett inside and dumped his backpack on one of the cots. “You do that. I need sleep.” The cot was bare, so the backpack became Link’s pillow, and he wrapped himself up in his bed sheet before flopping down on it. His abused body moaned in protest and he shifted his legs restlessly, trying to find a position that didn’t hurt his ass. Eventually he settled on his back.

Rhett was silent for a long time. Link could hear him breathing and felt the weight of his gaze. The brunet feigned sleep, breathing slowly and evenly, hoping to just be left alone so he could pass out and forget the world for a little while.

“Link…” Rhett sounded resigned as he climbed onto his own cot and lay on his side. Link heard him shuffling around, making the old metal cot squeak obnoxiously. The noise was too loud to ignore, and he couldn’t pretend not to hear.

“What do you want?” Link asked shortly. He opened his eyes again. If he wasn’t in such a horrid mood, the sight of Rhett on the tiny cot would have been hilarious. The man was so tall that he had to curl into the fetal position so his legs wouldn’t dangle off. Link himself had to keep his knees bent to just fit properly.

Rhett took a deep breath. “I know it’s been…it’s been a rough couple of days for us, and I don’t want to make you talk if you don’t want to – but I really don’t wanna sleep without fixin’ what’s wrong here.”

Fear spiked in Link’s belly. “What do you mean? You don’t want to even sleep beside me anymore?”

“What? No, I mean, I can’t go to sleep without talking to you about what happened. It’s driving me crazy. Please, Link.”

“Are you still mad at me?” Link managed to ask, his voice subdued. He tugged the sheet more tightly around himself as if he could disappear beneath it, waiting anxiously for Rhett to ask all sorts of questions that he didn’t want to answer. Rhett’s voice from the early hours of the night floated back to him: _You let him do what? What the fuck!_

“Wait. You think I’m _mad_ at you?” asked Rhett incredulously after a beat of silence. “What the heck?”

Link exhaled slowly, unsure of where this was going. “Maybe not mad? Disgusted. Ashamed of me. What I did.” _Because I’m a worthless whore that walked into a trap and almost got us both killed._ It wasn’t even an exaggeration to call himself a whore. What he did could never be atoned for. 

Rhett’s cot squeaked loudly in protest again as the large man sat upright sharply. “Ashamed of you? But you saved my life, Link!” 

Shock made Link’s mouth move slowly and stupidly. “You mean… you’re not…disappointed?”

“No! God! Why would I be – I just – I can’t believe you had to…Aren’t _you_ mad at _me_?” Rhett demanded. 

“Mad at you for what?” This was unexpected. Link sat up and threw up his hands. “What did _you_ do? Are you crazy?”

Rhett looked him in the eyes for the first time in many hours. “I acted like a jackass, is what I did! I held you still and made you take off your shirt, even though you kept sayin’ no. And instead of backing off when you told me that you didn’t want to talk about it, I kept pushing. I even had the nerve to ask if you wanted it! God!” Rhett exhaled, his fingers gripping the edge of his cot so hard his knuckles turned white. “And shouting at you, too…I don’t know what I was thinking. I _wasn’t_ thinking. I thought you were so mad you could barely stand to be near me. You…you haven’t talked to me all night. And I can’t take it anymore. Hit me, scream at me, do whatever you want, just stop ignoring me.” His voice broke and he looked away, his face drawn into a pained grimace.

Link was stunned. The fear he’d felt when Rhett pulled up his shirt had nothing to do with being afraid of another assault. “Don’t say that, man. I’m not gonna hit you. Rhett, it wasn’t like that at all. You were curious and I was acting weird. I just didn’t want you to see me like that, all marked up. I didn’t want to have to admit what I did. I knew you’d think it was gross.” Link hugged himself and shivered. His bitterness had suddenly drained away, leaving him feeling strangely empty and needy.

“Oh, Link,” Rhett said softly, and the sympathy in his voice made Link want to cling to the man for dear life. “How could you ever think I’d be disgusted with you?” His eyes searched Link’s for an answer desperately. “Is that how I made you feel? Me and my big stupid mouth!”

“Yes. No. I don’t know,” Link choked. “It wasn’t you. I was bein’ stupid, I guess. As usual.” His mouth twisted bitterly. “God, I’m a fool. And useless. Fucking useless!” 

“Why would you say such a thing?” the tall man asked him sharply. His eyes narrowed. “Don’t you ever call yourself stupid or useless, Link!”

Link was sick of avoiding the subject. He turned on the edge of his cot to fully face Rhett, his features twisting in rage and misery. “But it’s true! If I’d had any skill at all – any! – I would have been able to barter with those guys, and get medicine for you by doing actual work. But I can’t do anything, Rhett! I only survived everything so far because you were there to do everything! Knowing how to read the stars and use a compass and make a solar still and comin’ up with our whole plan on your own…and me just slowing you down.” Link heaved a wild breath, anxious to get it all out while he could. “I should have been more cautious about breaking into that barn. You’d never be so reckless and dumb. When I was in trouble, you saved me over and over with your smarts and your – I don’t know, your optimism and positive thinking, always taking the lead so easily and gettin' me back on my feet. Then when you were the one that needed help, I couldn’t do anything. I just whined and wandered around like a blind man until we accidentally found that barn, and then…and then I agreed to…” Blood rushed to Link’s face as he found that his usual expansive vocabulary had failed to come up with any less painful terms for his bargain with Roy and Hector.

“I would never think…” Rhett began, then fell silent, letting Link find the words. 

The brunet swallowed and tried again, the next part coming out in a rush. “And then Roy caught us and I thought we were dead, and he was asking what we could do for him and I realized I couldn’t do anything useful, but then when you were distracted he looked at me in this weird way and touched his crotch, and then he made the…you know, that stupid blowjob gesture where you poke your tongue into your cheek? And I knew then it was the only thing I was good for. So I did it. I gave him what he wanted because I don’t have anything else to offer.” Link stopped, his chest heaving. He felt a little better having laid his soul bare, but he still couldn’t help but cringe as he was forced to recall the details.

“No,” Rhett shook his head fiercely. “That’s bullshit and you know it. He didn’t want anything else in the first place. He made you do it.”

“What?” Link scrunched his eyebrows together.

“First off, I woulda died if you hadn’t gotten us in that barn! What were you supposed to do? You walked five miles half-carrying me there. You were too exhausted to notice if anyone lived in the village. And secondly, I bet Roy didn’t actually have anything you could have done. Like you said, they were all pretty strong-lookin’ guys, and they seemed to have what they needed. Even if you had some magical talent, he wouldn’t have cared. I should have known. He’s one sick man, Link. The kind of guy who likes abusin’ people. He would have tried somethin’ no matter what. He probably liked makin’ you feel trapped into going along with it. Got off on it, I bet. Jesus! It’s not your fault that they did this to you!”

“I sure made it easy for him.” Link’s cheeks burned hotly, even as some part of him rejoiced in the knowledge that Rhett didn’t disapprove of his actions and even confirmed some of his own suspicions about the ‘deal’. “I walked right into his house and delivered myself to him without a fight. Didn’t even try to get out of it. I did everything he told me to do. I even kissed them and somehow that was just as bad as the other stuff if not worse. I’m disgusting. I feel so gross that I can barely stand it!”

“Don’t think that way,” Rhett ordered. “Don’t you let that bastard make you hate yourself. He probably would have done worse to you and to me if you’d fought. I don’t think he’s the kinda guy who’d care if you said no. I knew there was something up with him from the second I saw him.” Rhett studied him closely, his green eyes full of concern and admiration. “You saved my _life_ , Link. I know you. I know that you’re beatin’ yourself up over it now. You’ve spent all night twisting this into something that you did wrong. You are _not_ useless, okay? You’re incredible – and you’re so brave. Tough as nails, too.”

 _“Brave?”_ Link’s eyebrows disappeared into his hair. “What do you mean, brave? And tough? You were the one going through hell out there, getting surgery without anesthesia! And all by yourself!”

“That was nothing. We’re both used to pain. I didn’t have a choice, and it was over real fast. You saw a chance to save us both and you took it. You didn’t care what might have happened to you or how bad you’d get hurt – you weren’t thinking of yourself at all, just me. _That’s_ bravery, Link.”

“I didn’t have a choice either. I had to save you. What the hell would I do without you?”

Rhett shook his head and looked at his feet. “It was all my fault,” he whispered, suddenly sounding on the verge of tears. “We would have never gone there if it weren’t for me. You would’ve been paying attention, you would have known there were people around the village. I’m not worth this. I’m the real useless one here. Dead weight.” He swore and curled his hands into fists. 

Link stared at him. “You’re not serious. You’ve been the brains of this thing from the start. I was glad it just ended up being two of them and not all of them at once.”

“ _Two_? Who – Roy, and – ”

“Hector. The short Hispanic guy.” The name felt like poison on his lips, burning agony as he remembered being bent over the sofa with his face pressed into the floral cushions that soaked up his tears. “I thought at first it was just gonna be me and Roy…That he was offering to give us the help we needed. But he told me he was only gonna forget about the food and shelter we took without asking. So I asked if there was anything I could do to have that Mason guy fix your arm, and then he said…only if I let one of his friends join in and I did more than, you know, with my mouth…” His voice faltered and he cleared his throat harshly. “I went along with it. It was better than all of them together, right? They spared me that, at least. I didn’t struggle or anything and they weren’t that rough. They were even…they...” Link let the sentence die off, unsure of how to express himself as a particularly awful memory rushed up from the depths of his subconscious. Hector’s hand circling his cock, pawing at it in an amateurish way until Link’s body betrayed him by responding to the touch. Hot shame constricted his throat and made his eyes sting with tears. _I thought I’d forgotten that part._

“Are you okay?” Rhett asked, his voice low and gritty. “Oh god…Link…”

Link could only shrug one shoulder. “I…I will be. Gimme a minute. I need some fresh air.” He went to the door and opened it wide. The sun seemed slow to rise today and the world below waited with trepidation, all lavender and coral. Despite the skyrocketing temperature the air still smelled sweet and refreshing. Several deep breaths helped to calm Link’s racing mind. Rhett’s words came back to him: _Don’t you let that bastard make you hate yourself._

_I won’t,_ Link agreed, vowing to strengthen his resolve. “I’m alright, for now,” he finally answered, leaning against the doorframe. “As good as I can be, at least.”

Rhett winced and bit his lip so hard Link saw blood well up. “I could kill them both,” he muttered in a low voice. “With my bare hands.” He stood up and began to pace back and forth, and then he suddenly turned violently to throw his fist into the wall. “Bastards!” he yelled suddenly. Dust and sand rained down as the entire building shook from the force of the blow. Link felt the doorframe tremble against his back and he pulled away quickly.

“Don’t punch stuff, Rhett!” Link was horrified, thinking of Rhett sustaining another injury.

The big man only grunted and reared back to hit the wall again. Even the floorboards seemed to shake this time The tiny shack was no match for a pissed-off Rhett. “The nerve of them…touching you like that! Hurting you, making you feel guilty…” 

Link grabbed Rhett’s arm and held it tightly. It wasn’t often that he saw Rhett lose his temper completely. Despite his size, or perhaps because of it, his friend took great care to appear mild-mannered so as not to intimidate people. A fierce pride welled up pleasantly inside him as he realized that the only time he’d ever seen Rhett this mad was when someone had hurt or insulted Link. “Don’t hurt yourself, man!” Link almost shouted. “You already have one bad arm. Come on! It’s over. We’re not gonna ever see them again.”

He expected Rhett to go still and become more reasonable, but instead the large man wavered where he stood and fell to his knees. The light seeping in from the open door made it easier to see Rhett’s face crumple. 

“Rhett!”

“I just walked away,” Rhett choked out, his breathing ragged. “I didn’t even say anything to him when he came to the barn to see us off. I knew what he did to you, and I didn’t do a damn thing about it.”

“They had guns, Rhett. _Guns_! Eight of them and two of us, and all we have is a crappy knife! We did what we had to do. You did the right thing.” Link took a deep breath. “We _both_ did the right thing,” he tried to say with conviction. 

Rhett still looked furious with himself. “Still, I should have been there for you after. I just didn’t know what to say and I was scared of making it worse. What a friend I turned out to be. Why didn’t I realize what was happening? You should’ve told me what you were gonna do…I could have…”

“Could have what?” Link asked slowly, his stomach turning over.

“You should have told them to come to me instead. I would have done – what you did. So you wouldn’t have to suffer. I could have done it if they’d leave you alone, even if I wasn’t as tough about it.” Rhett looked up at him from the floor and not a soul alive could doubt the honesty in those haunted eyes.

Link could only shake his head, horror-struck. “Roy hinted at something like that and I almost punched him for it. You were in so much pain already. I told you I was gonna take care of you no matter what. I told you to trust me.” There was a lump in his throat. He swallowed hard and chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“Fuck,” Rhett said with feeling, his lips curling in a snarl. “One day, I swear. When this is over, I’ll track them down and make them pay for what they made you do. I won’t shoot ‘em and let ‘em die fast. I’ll hurt them until they beg for mercy. I’ll take my knife and – ” 

“ _Stop_. Don’t do that, man. That’s not like you. They’re not worth us getting this upset.” Link rubbed his eyes firmly, hating to see Rhett so overwrought on his account. “We’re better than they are. We don’t hurt people for kicks. Let’s keep it that way.”

Rhett nodded jerkily. “All because of this,” he growled, looking at the stitched-up gash in his arm. “Because I cut myself on that fence and almost ruined everything. I should have known better, man. Why was I goin’ so fast? You, Link, you were so cautious – and I was a reckless fool. I don’t deserve you.”

Link barely even remembered what had happened. “What are you talking about? It was a total accident.” A hazy memory came back to him – Rhett, far ahead, teasing him for being slow, telling him that he was getting old. Link was picking his way along with great care, aware of his poor night vision without glasses. He hadn’t even seen Rhett trip and fall. It was only a cut, Rhett had said with a sheepish grin, showing Link the wound. _Just a cut…_

“You _were_ bein’ careful, man,” Link insisted. “You just stumbled. It wasn’t even a bad fall or anything. The infection was pure bad luck. Gosh, Rhett, you’re – you’re the smartest person I know. You’re everything to me. If we hadn’t found that barn I would have stayed with you till the end. I’d never leave you. Ever. We’d find heaven or whatever comes next together. You don’t understand how badly I need you by my side.” He looked at his feet. “Tonight, all that time we were walkin’, I was thinking that our friendship was ruined. And it was harder to deal with than anything Roy and Hector did back there.”

Rhett stood up and made to cross the gap between them, but paused halfway, uncertain. “Sorry. Can I…hug you?” he asked haltingly.

Link nodded fervently and got to his feet even more quickly than Rhett had, eager to prove that he had never and would never view Rhett as a threat. He stumbled over a buckled floorboard, and Rhett caught him gracefully. Link inhaled sharply in surprise and his hands immediately snaked around the big man’s waist to clasp together behind his back. _I feel so safe in his arms like this,_ is what he thought, blinking slowly up at Rhett with his lips parted. “I love you, Rhett,” is what he said out loud.

Strong hands cupped Link’s prickly chin, turning his face upwards to meet the tall man’s gaze. Rhett’s injured arm trembled but his fingers were steady as they held Link’s jaw as gently as if he were made of glass. “I love you too,” he said hoarsely. “Link, I love you so much. Nothing could ever ruin what we have. You are the brightest person I’ve ever known, and that you survived everything to make it here with me today is the only reason I haven’t gone nuts and ended my own life. I’ve been crying like a baby all night, because I felt so awful about you going so far just to protect me when I just stood there and didn’t do anything to protect you. I’m so, so sorry.”

Link moved his arms up and around Rhett’s shoulders. His head was spinning pleasantly with unexpected feelings that some hopeful part of him thought he saw mirrored in Rhett’s gaze. “Don’t be sorry. You’ve protected me for years, kept me alive and believed in me when nobody else would,” Link told him. He hated the thought of Rhett being upset all night and crying without Link even noticing. “Oh, Rhett. I wish you could know…how I really feel.” He pulled himself closer and felt Rhett’s body go rigid.

The moment teetered on the edge of a precipice. Their tender hug was torn between being a source of comfort between friends and something much deeper and more complicated. The dreary little shack blushed pink with the rising dawn as they looked at each other in surprise, frozen in place. The dreary little shack blushed pink with the rising dawn as they looked at each other in surprise, frozen in place. 

Rhett’s breath stuttered and he swallowed audibly. Very slowly, his hands moved down Link’s neck. The taller man’s tongue poked out to wet his lips nervously as though he was bracing himself for Link to lunge away or hit him. Link’s skin tingled pleasantly beneath Rhett’s fingers, which carefully moved back and forth at the curve where his neck met his shoulders. Link wasn’t frightened – quite the opposite. Rhett’s touch was nothing like Roy’s or Hector’s, and it was making him feel wanted and desirable. He tilted his head back in silent, subtle invitation.

Outside, the sun had finally broken over the horizon. Its rays slipped through a gap in the boarded-up window. By pure chance they found a pile of broken glass coloured bottles and jars, arranged in such a way that they caught and reflected the light off of the opposite wall. Suddenly the tiny shack was aflame with dancing rainbow lights.

“That’s amazing,” Link couldn’t help but exclaim, overwhelmed. Such beauty was scarce in this awful world. “Look at that, Rhett, it’s gorgeous.”

“Gorgeous,” Rhett echoed in a voice barely above a whisper, but he wasn’t looking at the lights. He was looking at Link. 

Their eyes met again and held for an instant that zinged through Link’s body like an electrical shock.

Rhett’s gaze flickered back to Link’s lips. He hesitated again, and Link knew at once what he was thinking. They both wanted the same thing, and he knew it. He also knew that Rhett wouldn’t dare make the first move after what Link had gone through back in the village. So Link collected every ounce of bravery in his body and went up on his toes, pulling Rhett’s face down to meet his own.

Time came to a complete stop as their mouths brushed against each other for the first time, both of them still as statues for a long moment. But then, just as suddenly, they were kissing for real. Rhett’s thick beard felt so coarse and rough compared to the sweet softness of his mouth. It felt so natural, as if they’d done this a million times before. Rhett tasted like home, like all the things he’d known and lost, and it made Link cling to him harder, remembering the world as it used to be and all the good times he’d had with the man in his arms. He was right all along – it had all been worth it to have Rhett. With a great rush of feeling deep in his chest he thought about how close he’d come to losing his best friend, and felt incredibly grateful to God that he’d been granted the chance to be here with him today. He wanted to memorize every detail of this moment to stash away in his heart forever, to comfort him come what may. 

“You’re not scared, are you?” Rhett mumbled into his mouth. “You really want this?”

“This feels wonderful, Rhett. This is exactly what I need right now.” Link pulled away just far enough to speak clearly, his voice low and more sultry than he’d intended. Rhett’s face was flushed and his pupils dilated as he absorbed the brunet’s words. Link went back for more, deepening the kiss this time and pressing himself flush against the bigger man. One hand buried itself into Rhett’s hair while the other found the man’s injured arm, cupping it from beneath to keep it safely out of the way.

When they both began to run out of air, Rhett gently broke the kiss and pressed his lips to Link’s forehead, panting slightly. 

“Are _you_ okay?” Link countered. “This is a really big deal for us.” He never had been one to shy away from embracing the awkward, but he didn’t want to put Rhett off with how forward he could be. Surely Rhett couldn’t know that this was not some spur of the moment thing. At least not for him…

“Oh, yeah. Better than okay. I’ve wanted to do that forever,” Rhett confessed with a small grin. “I’m glad you kissed me – I was gonna chicken out. I’ve always had these feelings, since high school if I’m bein’ honest. But our friendship was too important. I didn’t want to mess it up. Our lives were so perfect, Link…if I’d done anything to scare you off, or make you feel uncomfortable, it would have been worse than anything.”

Link remembered the years of unspeakable dreams and awkward erections from Rhett’s close proximity at school and later at work. Wistful thoughts of what it might be like to be with Rhett in that way battled with the constant cultural taboo instilled in him by the church and his peers. Everything had been very confusing at first, but he had to learn to deal with it. He accepted what could never be and learned to stifle his feelings for the sake of their friendship and their respective families. 

“I can’t believe this, Rhett,” he said aloud. “All this time we could have been…” He shook his head. “I wanted you, too.”

“All this time,” Rhett repeated, incredulous. His eyes grew misty as he looked out over Link’s shoulder, staring at nothing, lost in thought. “Sometimes, I did suspect something. I always told myself I was reading into things too much. Over-thinking every move you made. But I guess there’s always been a bit of tension, huh?”

“A bit of tension?” Link spluttered, breaking the solemn mood with a laugh. “Remember when you did the _I’m dead_ thing on me in twelfth grade after our bio exam and I got a boner? Isn’t that like, a universal sign of someone having a crush on you?”

Rhett stared at him for a moment, and then he started to laugh too. “You said you were thinking of that Caroline girl that sat in front of you!”

“Oh, come on, the exam had been over for like two hours, why would I be thinkin’ of her? That was the lamest excuse ever! And then there were all those times where I pretended to fall asleep on you so we could cuddle…I was so obvious!”

Rhett snorted. “Well, why didn’t you say anything when you were wrestlin’ with me in a tent that one time out in Halton Falls and we had to stop ‘cause _I_ got hard? I didn’t even have an excuse. That whole trip wrecked me. You looked so dang good, Link! Where did you get off walkin’ around in your underwear anyway? That shoulda been illegal. Give a man a heart attack.”

“Really?” Link felt himself blush, surprised and more than a little turned on at the thought of Rhett enjoying the way Link had writhed and tussled with him. Maybe the big man liked being pinned down by Link’s weight. His cock gave a pleasant gentle twitch in his pants at the implications of that. “I remember that trip. It was just hot out, I wasn’t trying to show off or something. I didn’t notice you staring. I did see your, uh, problem down there” – He waved a hand randomly in the direction of the lower half of Rhett’s body – “but I convinced myself it was just a random thing. I never dared to assume otherwise.” Those days as a much younger man in North Carolina were golden and pure in Link’s memory and he couldn’t help but smile. Rhett kissed him again.

“Link,” Rhett chuckled when he pulled back, “if only you knew how many times you’ve made me hard over the years…” He shook his head. “You damn near drove me crazy. You still do,” he added, his voice becoming softer.

Link went wicked. “Would it drive you crazy now if I said you could’ve ravaged me right there in our tent whenever you wanted, and I would have let you do anything to me?” He leaned in even closer. “Or that I _really_ liked bein’ on top of you?” 

Rhett made a noise like he’d been punched in the chest as the air in his lungs left in a rush. Link couldn’t help but giggle at his awestruck face. 

“Ravaged,” Rhett repeated when he finally found his voice again, trying for a casual tone. “What is this, a cheesy romance novel? Are you some bodice-wearing noble woman in distress?”

“I could do that, if you’re into role play,” Link deadpanned, loving the way they so easily slipped back into their old banter. Nothing could ever permanently destroy the bond between them. “Maybe we’ll find a dress that fits me whenever we hit another town.”

“Nah. Linkita never did anything for me. I definitely make the sexier woman.” Rhett’s lips curved into a small smile, barely visible through his wild beard. “Did _Rhettina_ ever get you as worked up as – ”

Link snorted and interrupted him with another kiss, this time slipping his tongue into Rhett’s mouth boldly. This earned a small muffled moan. Their heads tilted for the perfect angle, and Link felt a wonderful swoop in his stomach as Rhett’s little tongue warred for dominance with his own. The blond sucked in a sharp breath as Link angled his body to rub deliberately over the front of Rhett’s pants.

“Careful,” Rhett murmured, his hands going down to Link’s hips to hold him away. “You’ve been through a lot. I don’t want you to feel pressured, or have you jump into somethin’ you’re not ready for.”

“I’m okay,” Link told him softly but surely, and it was true. He felt no fear and was glad for it. This was something that couldn’t be taken away from him after all – his sexuality, his ability to touch and enjoy being touched in return. Rhett was holding back, letting Link initiate every move, and his passiveness was irresistible. With another step forward Link pushed him into the wall and nuzzled his face into the man’s shoulder. He pressed a kiss to the hot skin beneath Rhett’s ear and felt the man’s pulse racing beneath his lips. Encouraged, he moved closer to nip at Rhett’s neck, alternating each touch of his teeth with a kiss, until Rhett’s hands began to stroke his back in a halted way as if he couldn’t help but touch but was scared to go further.

“ _Link,_ ” Rhett gasped as the brunet put both hands up his shirt. “We’d better slow down, man. I’m getting a little too worked up. I want you too, but not…not this soon. I want it to be special. We have all the time in the world to ourselves.”

Link saw the sense in this. Rhett was still weak, he needed rest. Link did too. The long walk had been draining. With one last kiss to Rhett’s nose, Link nodded and said, “Okay. You’re probably right.”

He definitely didn’t want to sleep alone on the cot, though. The floor wasn’t exactly clean but they’d slept in worse places. It was just as flat and hard as the cots in any case. As Rhett closed the door, Link took his backpack and sheet from the cot and lay down on his side. He flung the sheet over himself and held it out invitingly until Rhett carefully got down beside him.

“You comfy?” Rhett murmured. Link nodded quickly. He could smell the heavy stink of their sweaty unwashed bodies as well as the briny tang of old blood dried on Rhett’s shirt, but he didn’t care. Nor did Rhett, it seemed. “Can I get a little closer?” he asked.

“Yes, please,” Link murmured. “Will you just hold me? I want to tell you what happened, all of it. I want to try and get everything out. Even if it sucks, I think I have to do it. My brain keeps blankin’ stuff out and I want to try and say what happened out loud so I don’t get it twisted in my own head. I need you to know – I can’t keep this bottled up. Don’t let me go, okay? Keep your arms around me like this.” 

“I’m here. I’ll listen,” Rhett whispered, kissing Link’s temple. “I’ve got you, baby. And I won’t let you go. You know you can tell me anything.” 

Slowly, haltingly, Link began to speak. The words came out painfully at first but he quickly found his stride, emboldened by Rhett’s strong arms around his body and the hand caressing his hair. He held nothing back, and when he was finished he felt ten pounds lighter. Rhett had kept his promise and still held him close, still loved him. Rhett didn’t think any less of him, and that was all that mattered.

“So brave,” Rhett said with quiet astonishment, running his fingers tenderly through Link’s hair. “You always were the tough one. In a fair fight, you would’ve mopped the floor with that guy. But cowards like him don’t fight fair.”

Link tried to imagine the pain of being held down while a razor-sharp scalpel stripped festering flesh from his arm, and shuddered in sympathy. “We’re both tough. We have to be. It’s how we’re gonna make it to somewhere better, me and you.”

Rhett looked startled, and then he grinned. It had been forever since Link had spoken of the end of their quest as if it was something that would really happen. “That’s right, brother. We’re gonna make it together, like we always said.”

Despite the overwhelming stuffy heat and the hard gritty floor, Link felt like he’d never been more comfortable in his life. He pushed his face into Rhett’s neck, realizing that he didn’t feel so low and awful anymore about what had occurred in the village. It was another trial to endure in a long series of trials, and surely it wouldn’t be the last obstacle to overcome. The scars of his experience would always be with him, but he knew they’d scab over and become a faint memory with time and support from his best friend. 

Sleep didn’t come quickly for either of them but they enjoyed the peace and quiet and the comfort of each other’s arms. They lay so close their noses almost touched. The blazing sun shone through the cracks in the single boarded-up window, illuminating Rhett’s hair from behind with a halo of pale gold. Link moved away enough to admire the sight of his friend, his face filled with wonder, overwhelmed by how Rhett was looking right back at him the same way. 

**

The two lovers were dirty and tired but determined as ever. One foot in front of the other, over and over, night after night, they continued their journey together.

The dunes and bare rolling hills turned into flat scrubland. To see vegetation growing filled the two men with joy, even if it was brownish and shrivelled and of little use. Tenacious thorny bushes grew in every ditch and hollow, and patches of tall dry grass became more and more common. “Switchgrass,” Rhett called it with an authoritative air though Link himself had no idea if he was right. Even flowering thistles hid in the shade of larger bushes, clinging to their life and beauty with a stubbornness not unlike Rhett’s the night he had refused to sit down and die. Link had thought their pinkish blooms were pretty until he stepped on one in the dark and found his foot full of tiny razor-sharp hairs that Rhett had to carefully pluck out one by one. The smaller man spent the whole day cursing the plants while Rhett made sympathetic noises between his giggles. 

Shelter was much harder to come by on these endless plains but the climate was becoming more forgiving. Clouds and rain were more frequent, a blessed relief after so long in the desert. Neither man had felt the bite of the deadly sun in many weeks. It was sometimes feasible to simply sleep in the open with a sheet covering their exposed faces. It seemed that the worst was over. Come sunrise, the men curled up together wherever they were, trading kisses and caresses while excitedly discussing what they might find ahead. As far as physical affection went, it was all Link was able to handle for now, but he hoped that in the future they’d be able to share even more and he looked forward to that day. Thanks to Rhett’s constant support and love, Link now fully believed that there really would be a future. 

Scars never faded entirely. Link dreamt often of the village, of the barn, of Rhett’s fevered face and delusional babbling. The worst nightmares were the ones where Link left Rhett’s side for a moment and turned back to find him dead, or locked inside the barn with Roy and Hector and all their friends as their mocking laughter echoed around him. Rhett’s arm still hurt him too, especially as he tried to sleep. But when Link woke in a cold sweat, he found himself safe in Rhett’s arms. And Link’s hands were gentle and loving as they pulled the stitches out of his partner’s skin, his lips soft when they kissed Rhett’s wrist below where the gash ended. Rhett’s innate sensitivity let him know when Link needed to be touched and kissed, when he needed distance, when he needed to vent and cry and yell in rage. 

Together, they healed. The newest layer of their lifelong relationship was just the thing they’d needed to spur them both onward. 

Another day later they came to the remains of a river. It was just a muddy trickle in the middle of a wider dinstinct trail that showed how big and deep the river must have once been. They followed it with joy, digging down into the mud to find groundwater to drink whenever they wanted. All rivers must lead somewhere, and surely this one was no exception, even though it twisted and turned and veered northeast. The brownish trickle widened into a creek, which widened further into a stream. They could wade in the slow-moving water to cool off and rinse the sweat from their bodies. All around them, the grasses and weeds multiplied in number, and soon they even saw the occasional tree. It was almost intimidating to see something so tall and large and _alive_ , standing proud and unchanged for decades. Of course, they both had to try climbing the first one they saw.

Then, wonder of wonders, near a suspiciously new-looking wooden bridge over the dried-up stream they even came across – 

_Missouri River Oasis_ , read the crude painted sign at the foot of the bridge, an arrow pointing in the same way the river flowed. _Travellers welcome!_

Link’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “The Missouri River?” he asked incredulously. “Is that what we’ve been following?”

“Where the heck are we, then?” Rhett looked confused. “Can’t be the Missouri. That doesn’t make a lick of sense. We’ve been going northeast. And I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think we’re far east enough to be in the state of Missouri, either.”

“You’re right,” Link frowned. “Maybe it’s just a name, like after the Native tribe called the Missouri.” He tried hard to recall the maps he’d had to label back in grade school, carefully using coloured pencils to draw on mountain ranges and major rivers. Rhett had sat beside him and they always distracted each other passing silly sketches and doodles back and forth. When the answer came, it struck him like a sack of bricks and suddenly Link was almost too excited to speak. “Rhett, the _Yellowstone!_ ”

“What?”

“The Yellowstone River flows into the Missouri! It goes northeast like we did! East through Montana, and as we came up from the south we met it as it turned more north. That would mean we just came through South Dakota, which makes sense because it was so flat!” Link paused to take a deep breath, knowing that he was babbling but too happy to care. “The Yellowstone. That’s what we’ve been following, Rhett! I’m sure of it!”

Rhett seemed impressed. “When did you become such a geography expert, Linkster?” he asked with a playful nudge of his shoulder.

“Well, somebody’s gotta be the brains of this outfit,” Link countered, giggling at Rhett’s dramatic indignant expression. “If I’m right, we should forget about just trying to keep north. If we follow the river like we have been, we might find more food growing, and if not, we’ll find actual cities eventually. If the river keeps getting bigger and deeper, maybe we can try makin’ a raft…” 

“You’re probably right. Do you think any fish survived?” Rhett looked wistful. “Imagine a fresh caught fish right now, Link!” 

The last house they’d searched yielded nothing but peanut butter and canned corn. Peanut butter was a perennial favourite but after eating it plain for days on end, Link thought his tongue might be permanently stuck to the roof of his mouth. He had always hated sushi but now the thought of even raw fish made his mouth water. “You’re gonna catch ‘em and clean ‘em, yeah?”

“Sure. You build the fire. There’ll probably be more trees for wood.” 

Fire. He’d forgotten about fire, having been in the treeless desert for so long. The idea sounded almost romantic. Link could practically smell the campfire now, and imagined cuddling with Rhett beside it with a belly full of fresh, hot food. He began to salivate as his mind tried to recall what a nice cooked fish would taste like and he tried to distract himself so as not to get his hopes up. “We should go skinny dipping,” he told Rhett, wicked thoughts filling his mind.

Rhett started to smile, but before he could answer his body froze. With eyes like a startled deer caught in the headlights of a truck, he hissed, “Link, there’s somebody coming.”

“Somebody? Out here, alone? Where?” Link squinted, his eyes slow to focus.

“Dead ahead!” Rhett whispered back, reaching for the knife. Link drew himself up and tried to look fierce. Rhett did the same, straightening his back to present his enormous height. It had been a long time now since they’d met another lone traveller, but they knew that interaction was risky. Other than their accidental intrusion into Roy’s village, the sight of two rather large men and the knife they carried was enough to give others pause. They didn’t have anything worth stealing and didn’t go looking for fights, but in this world full of crazed grief and desperation, Link knew anything could happen. _You never know what people were capable of,_ he thought sickly. If anyone had learned that lesson well, it was him.

Thinking about Roy even briefly made Link’s body tremble but he hid his apprehension beneath a snarling veneer. A bluff. He was not a vicious man and never would be. Soon he could see the person Rhett had spotted. They had a slim figure and wore black or dark colours that contrasted against the light sand at their feet. Link thought their hair was black as well until they threw back their hood to reveal a long blonde braid that fell halfway down their waist. _Her_ waist. The female survivors were just as tough and likely to be aggressive, but Link was very glad to know that she couldn’t do what Roy and Hector had done to him. He allowed himself to relax slightly but remained on his guard. 

“Who goes there?” a voice called, low and husky but definitely female. “Hands where I can see ‘em!”

“Same to you!” Rhett bellowed back. “All of us, at the same time. One – two – ”

The woman’s hands slowly began to rise upward, and Rhett and Link copied the action. She continued to approach warily, her eyes flickering back and forth between them. Link couldn’t help but stare, and despite himself he found his snarl fading from his face. His instinct told him not to worry. The woman looked fit and healthy, and, strangest of all, _clean_. Like she’d had a shower with real soap and actually combed her honey-coloured hair. Her clothes actually fit, and she was wearing _sandals_. The difference between her and most survivors he’d seen was jarring. There was no way this woman was another cross-country refugee.

“Where did you two come from?” she asked, taking in their stained and ill-fitting clothing, their ragged hair and scraggly beards. If she felt Rhett and Link’s eyes examining her in return, she showed no sign of being uncomfortable or self-conscious. “You’ve been on the move for a while.”

“We came from the south,” Rhett answered shortly, angling his body subtly as if ready to dive in front of Link.

“What do you mean, from the south?” The woman frowned. Her eyebrows were very dark compared to her hair, just like Rhett’s. Somehow it made Link feel better about her. “There’s absolutely nothing south of here. Everything’s dead and it’s nothing but desert.”

“We came almost straight north until we found that riverbed,” Link cut in. “Through the desert for months.”

She stared. “ _Months?_ In that heat?” 

“We travelled by night.”

“Obviously,” she muttered, shaking her head. “You’ll have to tell me that story sometime, if you stay with us.” She fingered the end of her braid, her mouth twisting as if wondering whether to accuse them of being liars. “But even still – ”

“Where are we, anyway?” Link broke in impatiently. “What state?”

That earned another stare. “What _state_? North Dakota. Near Lake Sakakawea.”

“But that means – ” The words were slow to sink in. Link gaped at Rhett, his utter disbelief too strong to form words. He’d been right.

“Link, do you realize – ” Rhett began, wide-eyed. His mouth opened and closed but he, too, could not find words.

“How far we made it?”

“It’s incredible!” Rhett managed to gasp. “You were right, Link! We’re close to the Canadian border, aren’t we?”

“I can’t believe it!” Link agreed. He looked at the woman quizzically. “Where did _you_ come from? What’s this oasis thing? Lake Saka – _Sakakawea_?” Link always pictured an oasis being a clear blue isolated lake in the centre of a wasteland. “Do you have a camp by there or somethin’?”

“It’s not just a lake. The lake is actually a ways away. You can paddle downriver to get there. In this case _oasis_ means a safe place, a refuge. Not that we get many travellers anymore,” she added regretfully. “But the Oasis – ” she said it in a way that made it sound like it should be capitalized – “it’s a city, really. It’s where Williston used to be, but it’s a new city now. A self-sufficient one, full of refugees. People who escaped from elsewhere. A lot of them followed the Missouri up to here – before big parts of it dried up of course. We’re little overpopulated, but that’s a good thing. We need people. There’s a lot of work being done. Hydroponics – our gardens, our greenhouses – the new dam – ”

“A city,” Link repeated stupidly, interrupting. Her words sounded almost like gibberish. Gardens, greenhouses, a _dam_? Too fantastic to be true. “Is it safe?” His thoughts went to the village they’d come from, and the small refugee outposts before that, and the utter hell that was Los Angeles. Hooded figures aiming guns over fortified walls and peering out of hastily-made shacks and tents, their eyes cold and hard, ready to kill to protect whatever they had.

“Very,” she assured him. “We’re not one of those awful government camps, and we haven’t had a single case of the Red Death. You’ll need to stay in quarantine at first to make sure, if you want to come in. Most people here are tired of the fighting and the chaos. If we can’t get our loved ones back, we want peace. We could use men like you,” she added, looking critically at them both. “Two big guys smart enough to walk across the country in weather so hot it kills – who knows, maybe you’ll end up on the supply team.” When nobody answered, the woman went on. “I can tell you’ve been through hell and just want to go home.” Her eyes lingered particularly on Link, and whatever she saw in his face made hers go soft. “This could be your new home.”

 _Too fantastic to be real,_ Link thought to himself a second time. Rhett was clearly thinking the same thing. “Where is this place?” he asked suspiciously. “Why are you out here alone?” 

“Can’t a girl take a walk? I live just over that hill.” She pointed. “About fifteen minutes that way.”

“We’ll come have a look,” Link told her, glancing at Rhett for confirmation. “If nothing else, we could use a place to sleep.” _Everything has a price, Link._ “What would you want in return?”

“In return? What, like money? Kind of useless, don’t you think?” She seemed honestly confused.

Link’s jaw tightened. “Nothing’s free out here.”

“I’m only offering shelter,” she laughed. “Who makes someone pay for that?”

“You might be surprised,” Link said dryly. Rhett shot him a concerned look but said nothing.

“Maybe. Maybe I wouldn’t.” She tossed her braid over her shoulder. “So that’s a yes?” she asked bluntly. “Well, follow me if you want.”

“What’s your name?” Rhett shouted after her, but she’d already gone too far and the wind had begun to pick up again, tearing the words away. He looked to Link, who shrugged and followed. As they began their slow ascent, picking their way carefully around thorny bushes and loose pebbles, Link wondered if he might be dreaming. It was so strange to see a woman. He hadn’t seen one since his Christy had boarded the plane…

“Oh, my goodness!” Rhett had gotten ahead of him and crested the small hill first. Whatever he saw below was making his face shine like a little kid on Christmas. Then he started laughing in a way Link hadn’t heard in years. “Link, look at this!”

Link jogged to catch up and then stopped as suddenly as Rhett had, his mouth agape. He reached to grasp the taller man’s hand clumsily as they both stood at the top of the hill, looking down at the stunning sight before them. There really was a city ahead of them just as the woman claimed. A real city. Houses, apartments, and business buildings, and in between and all around were makeshift tents and even some wooden shed-like structures. There were fires burning everywhere, twinkling like stars in the night. Survivors like them. Thousands of them. 

Hope. 

Link thought of Christy again, and his own children for the first time in many months. He’d become so good at blocking them out in order to hold onto his sanity. But now, recalling their faces didn’t hurt quite so badly, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he really would get to see them again someday. _We’ve made it so far, we can do anything. Nothing can stop us now._

Even if they stayed here for a bit, they would move on eventually, the two of them against the world. Rhett’s big hand encompassing his own was flooding him with strength, and Link squeezed it tightly. They both wore their wedding rings, and Link wondered if Christy still had hers. Maybe she was thinking of him right now. What he didn’t have to ask himself was whether or not she would understand his relationship with Rhett. He knew she would. His family loved him no matter what, just as Rhett did. There was some good left in the world after all. 

He turned to the handsome blond beside him, a huge smile on his face. Rhett grinned back and hugged him so hard the air was knocked out of Link’s lungs. When they broke apart, the woman turned back and gestured them forward with a knowing sort of grin.

“Let’s go, baby,” Rhett murmured in Link’s ear. “We can make it. Together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for a possible epilogue! ;)


	4. Oasis (Epilogue)

Link touched a match to the wicks of his candles, one by one, until the room glowed pleasantly and smelled sweet like cinnamon and vanilla. The dancing flames recalled pleasant memories of his past, of the glowing hearth at their family Christmas dinner and camping in the woods, showing his kids how to make s’mores. Though he was alone, he felt content and unafraid. And rather bloated after his filling supper. At his bequest the Supply Runners had found a jumbo box of Frosted Mini Wheats especially for him. They were well past the ‘best before’ date on the box but the interior bag’s seal was intact. Link had been almost vibrating with excitement as he immediately ran to retrieve his milk ration before joining Rhett in one of the city’s communal dining halls.

It had been almost four years since he’d had a bowl of cereal. With much pomp and a regal expression, Link set his bowl on the table triumphantly and filled it with his favourite food in the world. He could have moaned out loud as he poured the container of milk over the little squares.

Several of their new friends had sat down with them at the long table, looking over with confusion and mirth as Rhett watched Link’s face closely to see him take the first bite. Soon their laughter was ringing off the walls as Rhett regaled them with tales of filming the episode ‘Will It Cereal’ between bites of his spaghetti with plain tomato sauce. Cheese and meat were luxuries, so Parmesan and meatballs were not on the menu. Luckily some of the cooks were skilled in the art of adding the right spices and utilizing the tastiest ingredients available supplemented with fresh herbs and veggies from their garden. With his mouth full of deliciousness, Link listened proudly. Rhett was in his element. Telling stories and entertaining people like he used to. They were both popular here already, and had been made to feel right at home. They were given a small apartment after a short wait in a tent near the city centre, and though it was small and crowded, Link loved having a space to call his own. It was almost like living with Rhett in college again.

He sighed. It had been a wonderful day. Almost every day here had been wonderful, in fact. Link felt incredibly blessed. He curled up in his bed with another present from his favourite Supply Runner – a copy of John Steinbeck’s _East of Eden._ “Bring me something well-known, but nothing about post-apocalyptic worlds or war,” was how Link had put it to Jane. Houses that weren’t destroyed by fire sometimes had bookshelves left, even if all the food, medicine, and other more important supplies were long gone.

She had looked at her little table, on top of which she had _Out of the Deeps_ and _The Chrysalids_ by John Wyndham alongside Koushun Takami’s _Battle Royale_. “So I guess just borrowing something from here just won’t do, huh?”

She left and returned a day later with the Steinbeck paperback in a little bag. “I didn’t know which book to pick for you, so I chose the one with a character named Charles in it. Don’t open it here,” she told him, with a sly grin. “I got you something that I think you and Rhett need.” And when Link dumped the bag out on his bed, he’d found a few condoms and colourful sample packs of lubricant. The girl was not alone in assuming that he and Rhett had been together as a couple for a very long time, and she’d obviously further concluded that they were having sex regularly. Link, despite being alone, had blushed furiously and quickly stowed the extra items away. Hopefully they would be used sooner than later. Maybe he should put a condom on the nightstand casually, so the next time they got into a little heavy petting he could press it into Rhett’s hand and look into his eyes meaningfully…

 _Don’t push it,_ he scolded himself. _Read your dang book already._

Link had never been much of a reader before but he had learned to enjoy the peace and quiet of it. Lying awake long into the night, he could become totally absorbed in another world. Having leisure time was very strange for him after being on the move for so long. Without television and other electronics he read every book he could get his hands on, just as Rhett did. 

Tonight, though, it was hard to focus. His mind kept wandering to Rhett. His friend, his roommate, his lover. His guardian angel. The man had gone off to bathe after dinner, a long process involving drawing water manually to fill a big metal trough supported over a small fire-pit. Many people simply sponge-bathed or swam in the lake like Link had done that morning. But a hot bath was perfect for Rhett’s occasionally sore back, and it was a treat the older man had been looking forward to all day.

The words on the page blurred together as Link pictured his partner luxuriating in the dingy tub with his head tilted back. His skin would be glistening in the low light, just begging to be kissed and touched all over. Drops of moisture trailing through his fine sandy chest hair and over his nipples. One hand sliding between his legs to fondle himself surreptitiously, maybe imagining it was Link’s hand or mouth on him. Wet hair messy and flattened, boyishly cute. But there would be nothing boyish about the look in his eyes. 

Before he knew what he was doing Link was stroking his rapidly forming erection through his pants. His face was flushed and he felt sweat beading the back of his neck beneath his long, thick hair. _I want you so bad. Touch me, kiss me, fuck me, oh yes, Rhett…_

Rhett had been so cautious to avoid anything too sexual, fearing that it wouldn’t be a healthy step in their newfound relationship only months after Link was forced into selling his body. He was content to kiss and tease and cuddle. It had taken forever for them to progress to using their hands to stroke each other to orgasm. So far they hadn’t gone any further. When Link would press him for more he would gently side-step the request. _I want to put my mouth on you,_ Link had murmured the other night, and Rhett took both hands in his own and said _You don’t have to_ and swallowed Link’s protest with a kiss.

 _But I_ want _to,_ Link had wanted to say. He’d asked before to no avail. 

He felt frustrated that Rhett was holding back, but didn’t know how to tell him so. After all, Rhett was only cautious out of pure concern and love for him. He thought Link was traumatized over the painful and humiliating things the two villagers had made him do. But Link wasn’t afraid of sex – at least, he wasn’t afraid that Rhett would ever hurt him or force him into something he didn’t want. He wanted to feel desirable, to have Rhett touch and fondle him with abandon like nothing happened. It was unfair that the men in the village were still with him today to prevent him from enjoying his new relationship. The only thing Link was truly afraid of was being unable to enjoy receiving the act that was supposed to be used for love, not as currency. It wouldn’t be a big deal if he was never able to do it – he knew Rhett would never be upset or disappointed, and there were plenty of other fun ways to enjoy each other sexually – but it would feel a lot like giving up. Giving a part of himself to Roy and Hector to keep.

That thought make him sick to his stomach and he forced himself to think about something else. _The book,_ he remembered again. He took off his new pair of reading glasses and polished them on his shirt with fidgety, restless hands. But just when he was about to pick up where he left off, he heard a familiar knock at the door.

The book went flying off his lap, forgotten, as he ran to greet Rhett.

The big man was dressed in a simple forest-green henley, the colour picking up the subtle hue of his eyes perfectly. Pants were a challenge – the supply team just didn’t find a lot of bottoms long enough to fit a six-foot-seven man – and their laundry hadn’t quite gotten done yet. So Rhett was stubbornly wearing a pair of shorts that were a shade too small for him and scandalously tight in the front. ‘Booty shorts’ is what Link called them when the big man had first put them on, giggling until Rhett had frowned at him. “Well, I’m not complaining!” Link had exclaimed. “They really show off your…assets.” He winked. “I just don’t want everyone in the city ogling my man.” 

Rhett had just snorted, though he looked secretly pleased. Link was sure that Rhett liked it when he got a little jealous. 

Now, Link grinned as he hugged Rhett and let his hands drop immediately to the firm butt that was shown off so nicely in the grey shorts. Rhett was warm to the touch and he smelled like campfire and Ivory soap.

“Missed me, huh?” Rhett rumbled into the top of Link’s head. His hands caressed Link’s back. 

“Mmhmm,” Link agreed, pulling Rhett inside the apartment and then pushing him backward until his knees hit the edge of the bed. They tumbled onto the blankets together, kissing each other senseless until they were out of breath. Rhett snuggled into Link’s chest as the smaller man propped himself up with fluffy pillows against the headboard. “How was your bath?” Link asked.

“Incredible,” Rhett sighed. “But I want a loofah. When you become a Runner, get me a loofah. Or one of those back-scrubbers on a stick at least.”

“You could have asked me to come wash your back. I would’ve come with you.”

“Next time, when you’re not so bloated from cereal that you can barely walk.” Rhett kissed and licked Link’s prominent collarbones, using his nose to push down Link’s shirt for access. “Or whenever you find me a loofah.”

Distracted by a face-full of hair, Link wound his fingers through the sandy grey-streaked mane. “Your hair’s getting long again. You look like a lion.”

“Hmm. Meow.” Rhett purred, leaning into the touch. “Do you like it?”

Link tugged a handful playfully. “I do. Gives me somethin’ to hold on to,” he whispered lecherously, and giggled at Rhett’s surprised laugh. “Remember that video we did where you were the lion and I was the antelope…?” 

Rhett shot him a smoking stare, his eyebrows raised. “What, you wanna do a little role play? Want me to pounce and eat you up?” Before Link could reply, the bigger man’s arms shot up out of nowhere and began to tickle his sides. Link shrieked for mercy as Rhett’s hands scrabbled at his armpits, the tickling sensation driving all rational thought from his mind. His purple shirt rose up to expose his stomach and Rhett dove down to kiss the sensitive skin beneath Link’s belly button. 

“Aaah! Aaah, Rhett, that tickles, no no no, stop it, I’m gonna scream!” Link flailed, his words stuttering out from between gasping, wild laughter. He pushed at the larger man’s shoulders ineffectually but that only seemed to encourage him. “Gosh, Rhett, really, the neighbours will hear!” His words dissolved into a shriek followed by a string of high-pitched giggles. Rhett poked his tongue into Link’s navel, holding his small waist easily with his large hands. It was almost too much to bear. 

“I don’t mind,” Rhett mumbled into Link’s stomach, the vibration of his lips and the light scratchiness of his beard intensifying the tickling sensations. “They’ll just think we’re getting a little freaky in bed.” Quick as lightning, Rhett shoved Link’s shirt up and went for his ribs with a vengeance. Link couldn’t help but keep laughing, even though Rhett’s words made his brain stutter to a halt. 

Immediately, Rhett stopped and raised himself up so he wasn’t pinning Link down. He was always hypersensitive to Link’s emotions. “Are you okay?”

“What? I’m fine.” Link tried to twist his face into a confused expression, as if utterly perplexed why Rhett would put the brakes on like that.

“You still can’t lie for beans, Link. Is it something I did, or said?”

“Yes,” Link blurted, and Rhett looked as if he’d been struck. Feeling more than a little guilty at Rhett’s crushed face, Link reached out and threaded his fingers through the man’s overgrown hair tenderly. “No, it wasn’t you. That came out wrong. My brain just does weird things. It’s just…the whole thing about the neighbours. How they’ll think we’re just having, you know. Loud sex.” 

“Oh.” Rhett considered this carefully. “Well, the walls aren’t that thin, I’m sure they can’t hear much. I was mostly kidding. I wouldn’t want us to embarrass ourselves like that. I bet they’d give us a good ribbing at breakfast.”

“That’s not what I meant. It just made me think how….how I wish we really could…” Link’s cheeks burned. “Go all the way,” he finished quietly. He pulled Rhett’s head back down against his chest and held him there, the man’s breath pleasantly warm through Link’s shirt.

They lay in silence for a few minutes before Rhett spoke again. “Me too, Link. You know I want you. I just don’t want to rush things. You mean so much to me.” He wrapped his long arms around Link’s body and gave a deep sigh. 

Link squeezed the nape of his neck possessively as he felt a wave of appreciation for the chance they’d been given. A real home, finally. Something like a family. Safety, food, water, and real medics. And everyone was treated with value and compassion whether they worked serving food, planting crops, or building new houses. Rhett was using his old engineering skills to help with a massive dam rebuilding project that would provide electricity and make their lake swell to its previous proportions. Link helped him at first before being encouraged to enter training to be one of the elite Supply Runners. Apparently, trekking from southern Texas almost to Canada in conditions that would kill most people was a very admirable feat. Rhett’s weakened arm interfered with his ability to quickly load and fire weapons, so Link had signed up alone.

With real food in his belly every night and an exercise-heavy regimen at his job, Link was growing stronger each day. With that came a blessed sense of self-security. He felt tough, maybe even good-looking again. He hadn’t realized how much a little self-confidence would help him heal. When he looked in the mirror, he didn’t see a scrawny, pitiful slip of a man. If anything, he was in better shape than he’d ever been in his life. Rhett looked better, too, lean and toned instead of lanky, no more protruding hips and ribs. Link wanted him so badly it almost hurt. 

Rhett tilted his head backward to give Link a reassuring smile. “What were you thinking about just now?” he asked.

“How good you look.” Link touched the goose-prickled skin of Rhett’s upper arm. “What I want to do with you.” He raised his upper body from the bed and curled downward to give Rhett a clumsy upside-down kiss.

“And what is that?” Rhett countered when they broke apart, his voice stuttering for a split second as his breath caught.

“Let me show you.” Link rolled out from under Rhett and then helped the big man turn over onto his back. Rhett’s arousal was undeniable in his tight little shorts. Link cupped it in one palm, loving the warm weight of it in his hand. He was feeling bolder than usual. “I want this, right here,” he said. “I want it inside of me.”

The big man groaned. Link felt him grow even larger as blood rushed to his groin. “I don’t know…if that’s a good idea,” Rhett argued weakly. He tried to reach for Link’s own erection, but the angle was awkward with the smaller man’s arms in the way. Instead, Link grabbed both of Rhett’s wrists and straddled him before directing the man’s hands to where he wanted to be touched.

Rhett’s hands on Link’s ass were so hesitant, as always. Link pushed into the touch encouragingly, and Rhett dared to give him a little squeeze. 

“Rhett…” he moaned pleadingly. “More. Please?”

The blond’s touch quickly went to the front of Link’s pants instead, rubbing him firmly through the fabric before popping the button open easily. “Why don’t we do it like last time?” Rhett breathed in his ear. “You wanna sit on my lap and let me make you come?” 

Link shook his head quickly. That had been fun, a quick little romp before breakfast, both men fully clothed. Link had sat on Rhett’s thighs, arms around his neck, Rhett’s hand working its way into his pants to stroke him hard and fast.

“No?” Rhett looked disappointed.

“Not enough,” Link returned. “I want more than just your hand, Rhett. I told you, I want you inside of me. Tonight. Haven’t we waited long enough?” He tried for a sultry tone. “Don’t make me beg for it, Rhett.” _Don’t come on too strong,_ he chastised himself. But as soon as the words were out of his mouth, Rhett’s hand stilled and Link saw him bite his lip.

“It hasn’t been that long,” Rhett countered, though his voice was gentle. “We could do it the other way around first, if you’re really set on this.”

He shook his head. “I want that too, but this is important. I know you’re being cautious, for good reason,” Link told him, “but I don’t want us to be held back by what happened to me. I don’t want them to affect what we have.”

“It doesn’t,” Rhett insisted. “We’ve been enjoying ourselves, haven’t we? I don’t want you to do something you’re not ready for to try and erase what happened. That’s not going to work.” 

“But it feels like you don’t trust me to know myself and my own mind,” Link protested. “I’m happy that you’re so protective of me, but this is ridiculous. Trust me, Rhett, I’ll know if I need you to stop. I’m sick of feeling like you think I’m too delicate.”

“I’m sorry, Link.” Rhett looked chagrined. “I’m just scared, I guess. Of ruining this amazing thing we have. It’s almost too good to be true. All this – ” he gestured around them, at the interior of the cozy apartment – “and bein’ able to hold you every night, kiss you whenever I want…it’s like a dream, Link. I’m terrified of finding out that I won’t get to have you like this anymore if I do or say something to drive you off.”

“There’s nothing you could say to drive me off,” Link said firmly. “I’m ready, Rhett. I’ve been ready for ages.” He felt colour blossoming in his cheeks. “I know you’re scared of bringing up bad memories for me, but I trust you, and I definitely want to do more than just handjobs all the time. You make me feel safe, and I love it.” He looked right into Rhett’s eyes. “I don’t want what happened in the village to be important anymore.” 

Rhett shook his head slowly, uncertainly written all over his face. “ _You’re_ important,” he said.

“Then let’s give it a try,” Link urged. “You know me, you know when I’m about to freak out or when I don’t like something. We can always stop if we have to.” He patted Rhett on the shoulder and helped him sit upright on the bed. Link wriggled into place beside him.

“Okay,” Rhett finally said, unsure at first.

“Really?” Link grinned at him.

“Yes, really. I’ve fantasized about this for a long time.” He looked at Link, and the smaller man practically jumped into his lap to kiss him again. Rhett laughed at his eagerness, trying to speak between kisses. “Mmm – this might be easier if – mmph – Link, slow down, let’s get in a better – mmm, okay, this could work.”

Link had gotten to his feet and pulled Rhett up with him, standing up on his toes and supporting himself by holding onto the man’s shoulders. His own cock was pushing into Rhett’s thighs eagerly, and he knew it was driving the big man crazy.

“Can I take your clothes off?” Link asked, almost shy as his giddiness began to take over. Rhett nodded wordlessly. Link grabbed the hem of his green shirt and slowly pulled it up, his eyes devouring the newly-exposed skin. The candles flickered and deep shadows danced in the curve of Rhett’s pecs, his navel, the outline of his clavicle. _So big and strong._ Link turned his attention to Rhett’s shorts and they quickly ended up on the floor too.

“Your turn?” Rhett asked huskily when he was wearing nothing but his boxers. Link started to raise his shirt over his head but Rhett’s hand stopped him. “Let me do it,” he murmured. 

Link closed his eyes as Rhett’s deft hands peeled away the layers of fabric. The blond couldn’t seem to stop touching the new bulging muscles in Link’s arms, the firmness of his flat stomach. When his pants had pooled around his ankles, Link lost patience and hooked his fingers into the waistband of his tight blue briefs. Rhett’s wandering hands froze as he watched them drop to the floor. Link kicked them aside and stood before his best friend naked, feeling bolstered by the heat of Rhett’s gaze.

“Like what you see?” he asked with a grin. 

“You look...oh, Link, you look beautiful.”

“I wanna see you, too.”

“O-okay.” He sounded dazed. Like a man in a dream, Rhett pulled down his own boxers, never taking his eyes off Link. The brunet moaned out loud as he watched Rhett’s cock spring upward from the confines of the fabric. 

“Wait,” Rhett said when Link moved forward. “I’m good for now. I want to do something for you before we…you know. You look so delicious.” He licked his lips with his little pink tongue and Link’s world started to spin.

“Are you gonna…”

“Yep,” Rhett grinned and dropped to his knees, surprisingly graceful for such a large man. He was still so tall that he had to sit all the way down on the floor to get his head at the right height. Link’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of his stiff, aching prick just inches away from Rhett’s perfect face. The blond was regarding him with a hint of nervousness as he reached out a hand to stoke up and down the shaft. Link could feel quick, anxious puffs of breath on his sensitive skin. _Be patient,_ he ordered himself, so he ignored the small but insistent dominant voice of him, urging him to grab Rhett by the hair and thrust forward.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Rhett confessed with a chuckle before leaning in to wrap his lips around the head of Link’s cock. Link cried out and grabbed onto Rhett’s shoulders for balance as the teasing moist heat sent sparks of pleasure through his body. Rhett’s tongue made a slow circle, pausing to pay extra attention to the extra-sensitive spot on the underside. Then his mouth stretched wide to take him all in, and it felt like tight wet velvet caressing his manhood lovingly. 

“You know exactly what you’re doing,” Link gasped. “Oh, Rhett, you’re perfect.”

Rhett settled into his stride, learning how to breathe through his nose and use his tongue more confidently. Every so often he’d pull off entirely and stroke Link with his hand using his own saliva as lube. He seemed fascinated by Link’s reactions, repeating every move that made Link shiver or moan. Rhett was a quick learner. Soon he seemed to know exactly what to do, when to speed up and when to slow down, when to tease Link by running just the tip of his tongue all over like Link was a giant Popsicle. Finally, he plunged his mouth back over Link’s manhood with a rough muffled groan.

“You like doin’ this?” Link asked as he reached down to trace the outline of himself through Rhett’s cheek.

“Mmhmmm,” Rhett hummed with his mouth full, sending wonderful vibrations through Link’s body. The smaller man put a hand on the back of Rhett’s head and gently urged him to bob his head, shallowly at first. As Rhett grew accustomed to the rhythm, his confidence surged and he moved faster. The occasional brush of his rough beard against Link’s most sensitive skin was a delicious contrast to the softness of his mouth.

“Rhett,” Link managed to get out between his uncontrollable noises of pleasure, “this is better than I ever dreamed. Oh, gosh, this is incredible.”

Rhett looked up into Link’s eyes, his face full of shameless desire. Without breaking the eye contact, he began to move his head forward to take in more and more of Link’s length. There was a moment where Link felt his cock push hard into the resistance at the back of Rhett’s throat before the pressure yielded and Rhett learned how to swallow him down. When his nose was brushing the jet black hair between Link’s legs, Rhett’s eyes teared up and squeezed shut and he could only stay in place for a few seconds before pulling off and coughing. Link was worried that the man had pushed himself too far but before he could speak, Rhett dove right back for more. 

His eagerness, that silky mouth, the way he brought one hand up to fondle Link’s balls lightly, it was all too much. It was heaven, but Link thought that what came next could be even better. “I’m gonna come way too soon, Rhett, stop,” he gasped, jerking away. “God! You’re so good at this!”

“Yeah?” Rhett looked so pleased with himself that Link had to giggle at him. He helped Rhett to his feet and then pushed him toward the bed again. “I wanted to taste it,” Rhett told him huskily. “I want you to come in my mouth.”

“Next time, okay? Tonight when I come, I want it to be from having you in me. Now lay down,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir.” Rhett laid back and spread out comfortably, his huge body splayed out on the sheets like a porn centrefold. “I kinda like when you tell me what to do.”

“Oh?” The fire of Link’s passion turned into a raging inferno. “I’ll keep that in mind. I have all sorts of plans for you, Rhett,” he promised with a sideways little grin. “Tonight I’m all yours, but maybe tomorrow I’ll make you mine.”

“Fuck, Link.” Rhett swallowed hard. Link clambered on top of him and tucked his face in the crook of Rhett’s neck, tongue flicking out to lick the sweat-salty skin. The big man was putty in Link’s hands. The wet tip of Rhett’s manhood brushed against his bare thigh and Link sucked in a sharp breath. Glancing down, he could see how red and flushed it was. Rhett was trying so hard not to demand anything of him but Link wanted him to ask for it. He loved having Rhett at his mercy like this. Being desired so strongly felt powerful. Slowly, deliberately, he rubbed his thigh against Rhett’s hardness again, watching the larger man’s eyes widen.

“Tell me what you want,” Link breathed in Rhett’s ear before nipping his neck teasingly. Rhett’s entire body flinched at the scrape of Link’s sharp teeth but he tilted his head for more. “Come on, man, I wanna hear you say it.”

“I need…I…” Rhett’s eyes squeezed shut. “Touch me.”

“With my hand?” Link pulled back and let his flat palm skim across the firm, velvety shaft. “Like this? Are you sure that’s all you want?” Teasing Rhett was always fun. The man’s cock jumped eagerly at his touch and Link felt himself salivate at the sight of its glistening tip. 

“I want anything you’ll give me,” Rhett said, but that wasn’t the answer Link wanted. Instead of replying, Link shuffled his knees up further and positioned himself so that Rhett’s erection nestled between his buttcheeks. 

“Oh, God,” the blond moaned, and Link felt a curse slip from his own lips. His entire body was on fire with anticipation. It was the most exquisite torment. 

“Tell me,” Link repeated, rolling his hips.

“I want to be inside you,” Rhett finally broke, his voice rough and pleading. “I want to make love to you. But don’t we need something for…for lube?”

“I have lube. And condoms,” Link told him as he tumbled off of Rhett. The mattress bounced lightly beneath him as the big man stood up. “My friend kind of thought we’d need them.”

“Wait, wait, I’ll get ‘em, wait here. Don’t touch yourself yet.” Rhett glanced around the room. “Where are they?”

“Top drawer of the dresser.” Link stretched out on his back, luxuriating in the feeling of his naked skin on the soft cotton sheets. His cock bobbed demandingly between his legs and he stroked himself lightly as he waited while Rhett’s back was turned. The man rummaged through the contents of their dresser drawer, giving Link a great view of his pert ass. He’d always been a good-looking man in Link’s eyes, ever since he grew out of his awkward years as a young teenager, but time only seemed to improve him with every year. The sun may have added wrinkles and creases to Rhett’s face, and there was more grey in his hair than ever, but that body could have belonged to somebody ten years younger. He’d gotten a little too thin in the desert just as Link had but now his rear end had filled back out wonderfully. Link couldn’t keep his eyes off it, awed at the raw beauty of the pale, creamy skin. He wanted to press his mouth along the crease beneath each buttcheek and trail kisses down both thighs until Rhett was squirming and begging for more.

Link stroked himself more firmly and a moan slipped out before he could stop it. 

“Hey, hey, I said wait for me!” Rhett turned, indignant, holding a condom in one hand and a handful of the lube samples in another. He froze when he took in the sight before him. 

Link’s eyes were hooded as he met Rhett’s gaze and he let his full lips curve in a sultry smile. “I can’t help myself,” he breathed. “You look so hot. I can’t believe this is really happening.”

Rhett looked down at himself and then back to Link. “ _Me?_ I look hot? Look at yourself, man!” His gaze settled between Link’s thighs. “You’re huge,” he said matter-of-factly. “And you’re so ripped now that you look like you could pick me up and throw me.”

Link wiggled his hips and grinned happily at the praise, unable to stop himself from acting silly. He was elated. Not only did he get to have his best friend, he got to enjoy the most intimate act imaginable with him, too.

Rhett carefully ripped open the packaging and began to unroll the condom over his enormous length. Link watched, feeling slightly out of place being on this side of this procedure. To help, Link opened one of the lube sample packages and squeezed the clear liquid into his hand. With an impish grin up at Rhett he stroked the taller man’s cock until he was good and slick. As Rhett watched questioningly, Link tore open another packet and laid back with his knees bent and legs spread wide. Taking a deep breath, he brought his wet fingertips to his opening.

“Oh, wow,” Rhett sounded awed. “Are you gonna get yourself ready?”

“Mmhmm.” Preening from the attention, Link spread his thighs even further apart. The gel quickly warmed to his body temperature as he used two fingers to circle his asshole slowly. He’d never touched himself like this before and he was amazed at what it felt like. His own touch stirred something hot and aching inside him, a need to be taken and filled completely. Gently, Link used his middle finger to test the resistance of the ring of muscles before pressing the tip inside. It was a tight fit but he was so relaxed and eager that his body yielded without fuss. Before he knew it he’d pushed almost his entire finger inside and wiggled it back and forth as best as he could.

A shudder wracked his body at the intensity of the feeling. “Rhett,” he cried out, helpless to stop the name falling from his lips. “Oh, oh goodness…”

“Does that hurt?” Rhett asked immediately, his face full of suppressed eagerness.

Link shook his head. “No, it feels good. I would have been doin’ this to myself for a long time if I’d known that it felt like this,” he had to laugh. But it was an awkward angle, lying flat on his back and reaching an arm between his legs. He withdrew the finger reluctantly. Then, he used his other arm to prop his head up so he could reach the other underneath his back and curl his hand up between his legs from behind. This way he had a lot more room to move around.

It also gave Rhett a much better view of the action. Link watched the man’s jaw drop as he pressed his middle finger back inside more easily. The other man seemed to be gaining confidence as he watched Link’s face contort with pleasure with each thrust of his hand. “This is so hot, Link,” Rhett said in a deep voice as he stroked himself gently. “I love watching you make yourself feel good.”

Link added another finger, eyes widening at the stretch and his body’s immediate desire for more. Fascinated by the way Rhett moaned and began rutting against his hand with frustrated abandon, Link had a hard time focusing on what he was supposed to be doing. The air seemed to crackle with electricity as Link considered the fact that he was getting himself ready for Rhett’s cock. He rocked his hand a few more times until he thought he was adequately prepared. _Fingers feel good, but Rhett’s cock will feel better._

“I think I’m ready for more,” he told Rhett, his voice cracking. 

“Yeah?” Rhett’s hand on his own cock stilled. “ _God_ , I want you…but if you’d rather take it slow and have me try it with my own fingers, that’s okay, too.” His eyes were fiery in the dim light of the candles and he looked like a vision of pure sex. _That man is mine,_ Link thought to himself with wonder, clenching down on his fingers unconsciously and making the wonderful sensations in his ass more intense.

“No, I’m ready. I know I am. Fuck me,” Link pleaded, biting his lip as he plunged his fingers in as far as they’d go and wiggled them against one fantastic spot until he thought he might burst with pleasure. “Please, Rhett!”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t be a tease. If you ask me that one more time, I’m going to kick you in the head,” Link said levelly, and Rhett began to chuckle.

“Okay, okay.” Rhett looked thoughtfully at Link’s position. “I don’t know if this position will work. Can you get your butt up any higher? Or do you wanna turn over?”

“I have an idea.” Link wanted to be able to see Rhett’s face as the big man made love to him. He gestured at the threadbare sofa. “Grab one of those throw pillows,” he told Rhett. “I don’t want to get the ones from our bed messy.” Good, clean pillows were hard to come by. Link had spent a long time using a rough flat backpack as a pillow and wasn’t about to ruin the one he slept with now. 

Rhett retrieved the pillow as Link carefully pulled his fingers out. The other man tossed the pillow at him with a look of puzzlement and intrigue. Link fumbled the catch and nearly dropped it on the floor. Despite his trembling hands he managed to lift his hips and wedge the pillow beneath his backside comfortably. When he lay back again and nudged his thighs apart, his ass was elevated and completely on display. Rhett moved between his legs with a dawning grin as he realized that his cock was at the perfect height to enter Link comfortably.

The position brought them wonderfully close. So much skin on skin, the contact electrifying. Despite lying prone on his back Link felt as though he had a great deal of control. He could, if he desired, wrap his legs around Rhett to push him back or pull him forward. His hands were free to touch Rhett’s arms and chest. Feeling Rhett’s strong presence settled so gently between his spread legs made Link feel almost breathless with desire. He felt a little self-conscious about being so exposed, but there was a thrilling element to it as well. 

“Look at you, babe,” Rhett murmured as he reached out to lightly trace his fingers down the exposed crack of Link’s ass. He was still slippery with lube, and Rhett’s touch felt unbelievably arousing as he explored and massaged the sensitive puckered skin. “You are perfect,” he said with emphasis, rubbing on the blissful spot behind Link’s balls and making the smaller man squirm and writhe.

“I need you, Rhett,” Link gasped, then moaned sharply as Rhett obediently moved closer and let his cock press into the cleft of his ass. It felt enormous. Link couldn’t help but be a little nervous but his excitement was much stronger than his fear. Wrapping his legs around Rhett’s body, Link rocked his hips experimentally to rub his ass along the other man’s stiff prick until he’d positioned the tip of Rhett’s cock right at his hole. Every second of waiting was becoming more unbearable.

“Tell me if it hurts, okay?” Rhett seemed more nervous than Link was. His forehead shone with sweat. 

“You won’t hurt me,” the brunet assured him. “Go slow at first, and I’ll be fine. I trust you.”

Rhett took himself in hand and began to press forward. Nothing happened at first, and the pressure increased until Link cried out wordlessly and squeezed his eyes shut. _Relax, open up, you can do it._ The man’s cockhead finally slipped inside and Link’s eyes shot open as he let out a groan. He couldn’t help but whimper at the initial pain, but his thighs only spread wider, begging for more.

“Oh, god,” Rhett whispered, his arms trembling. “You’re so tight. How does that feel? Is it good for you too?”

Link nodded his head quickly and focused on keeping his breathing steady. He knew the pain would soon fade and become a distant memory. “I love it,” he moaned. “I love you, Rhett. Keep going.”

“I love you too,” the big man groaned as he pushed himself inside slowly. Link’s eyes grew wide as Rhett’s thick manhood filled him inch by inch. His hands splayed across Rhett’s chest, feeling the other man’s heart beating fast as a rabbit’s beneath the fevered skin. The look of worship in Rhett’s eyes as they stared down at Link was a powerful distraction from the burning stretch as his body grew accustomed to the feeling.

“Yes!” Link gasped as Rhett sank into him to the hilt, their bodies completely joined together. It was amazing how easily he was able to open up and take it. There was no pain at all anymore, just incredible pleasure that tingled from his head to his toes. When Rhett leaned down to kiss him hungrily the change in angle nearly made him bite Rhett’s tongue. Time ceased to exist as Rhett pulled back and began to thrust shallowly. 

“Mmm, ohh, that’s good, that’s so good,” Link panted, his hands falling helplessly above his head. His noises of encouragement spurred the taller man on until he was fucking Link in earnest. 

“Link, yes, Link,” Rhett chanted like a broken record. Their mingled sweat dripped onto the sheets below and the scent of arousal and sex filled the small room. It was becoming difficult for Link’s legs to maintain their grip on Rhett’s sweaty skin and he began to slip. Rhett growled low in his throat and grabbed Link’s legs himself. 

“Oh goodness, Rhett, that’s even better,” Link gasped, loving how it felt to give control over to the man he loved.

Rhett was beginning to pant with exertion and his voice was rough. “You want more?”

“Please, yes, come on.” Link moved as best as he could pinned beneath Rhett’s weight, turning his body to help Rhett find all the angles that would feel the best. His cries increased in volume whenever Rhett slid up against that powerful little spot inside his ass and the other man quickly learned how to drive Link crazy by aiming his thrusts accordingly. One of Link’s legs spasmed helplessly and fell from Rhett’s grasp. The big man only growled again and lifted Link’s ankles onto his shoulders instead.

A sudden shock jolted Link’s body as Rhett slammed directly into the spot he’d been just brushing against the entire time. “Rhett!” he nearly screamed, his upper body curling up from the bed as if he was being electrocuted. “Don’t stop, oh fuck, Rhett, right there!” The curse word fell from his lips before he could hold it back. Rhett felt even bigger from this angle and it was driving him crazy with lust.

“Yeah?” Rhett seemed pleased. He grinned down at Link and pulled almost all the way out, leaving just the head of his cock inside the tight ring of muscle. When he thrust hard, Rhett’s entire length slipped back in without resistance and hit Link’s prostate again. The brunet’s answering cry was so loud he was sure the entire building could hear, but he was too dizzy with pleasure to feel embarrassed. 

“Touch yourself,” Rhett ordered, and Link obeyed mindlessly, his forehead scrunching up at the overwhelming dual sensations of his hand and Rhett’s manhood inside of him. When his mouth fell open in pleasure Rhett’s name burst forth from his throat over and over. The bedsprings began to squeak rhythmically as Rhett picked up speed again, thrusting smoothly and deeply. Link rocked his hips in time to encourage the fast pace, his body easily opening up to take Rhett in. He wished he could see what Rhett’s cock looked like as it disappeared inside his ass over and over.

His body was tightening as his orgasm approached, clenching down around Rhett’s cock and heightening every sensation. It only made Rhett thrust harder and Link’s eyes rolled back in his head, overcome with pleasure.

“I’m close, Rhett,” he managed to say in a strangled voice. “Don’t stop when I come, keep moving, Rhett, I’m gonna - _oh!_ Oh, gosh, Rhett!”

The man’s name turned into a high-pitched cry of ecstasy as Link went over the edge, his blood roaring in his ears. The force of his climax made him let go of his cock and grab onto Rhett’s neck as if he would fly right up and off the bed if he didn’t hold on for dear life. Untouched, his cock spilled his seed all over himself, every thrust bringing forth another spurt. Rhett didn’t stop, just kept fucking him steadily through it, everything hot and slick and perfect. Link’s come was splashed up onto his own chest and stomach, warm and sticky. The feeling of being pressed against the mattress, covered in the evidence of his climax and held down beneath Rhett’s powerful frame, was drawing his orgasm out longer than he could have believed was possible. 

The last of Link’s slick come dripped down his shaft and onto his stomach as he floated in bliss. He’d never felt so happy or triumphant. He knew now that he was able to receive pleasure from this act – it had not been tainted forever by what he’d been subjected to months ago. Never before had the village in the desert seemed so far away, so insignificant. His demons were conquered. The brunet opened his eyes and looked up at his partner with trust and love. _My protector, my guardian angel._

Rhett had slowed down and the effort it took was written clearly on his strained face. He lowered Link’s legs back to his sides and the brunet wiggled his hips, bouncing gently on Rhett’s member. Rhett moaned sharply in ecstasy.

“Come on, Rhett,” Link repeated the action to hear the man moan again. “Your turn. You can keep going as fast as you want.”

“It doesn’t hurt?” his lover managed to ask. “You sure?”

“Nope, not at all. Feels good.” Link grinned reassuringly. He felt drunk on his own happiness. “It’ll feel even better when I get to watch you come.” Curving his legs around Rhett’s waist, Link urged him on until Rhett gave in and resumed his previous pace. He fucked Link in short, hard strokes, not pushing himself in so deeply anymore. It felt different now that Link had already come, but not in a bad way. He was able to focus more on Rhett’s reactions. The way his thighs flexed and strained to hold himself upright, how his hands ran all over Link’s chest and shoulders with wild abandon, how gorgeous his face was as he rapidly approached his own climax.

“Link, Link, oh fuck.” Rhett was trembling. He reached down to touch the mess on Link’s stomach, running his fingers through the ropes of come and smearing it across his partner’s skin. A bead of sweat dripped down Rhett’s face and his mouth went slack. “I’m gonna…ohhhh, Link…so close…”

“Yeah, come on, baby, let me feel it,” Link encouraged. He arched his back and pushed his hips up to meet every thrust until the man let out a long, drawn-out groan of sheer pleasure. Link could feel his cock spasming as it emptied itself into the condom deep inside. The blond collapsed on top of him, limp as a rag doll, still buried to the hilt and shuddering deeply. He groaned when Link’s arms clutched onto him and hugged him firmly. Link’s head was spinning with elation as they kissed each other tenderly. He felt as though their bodies were melting together, joined in passion. Winding his fingers through Rhett’s hair, Link waited for his lover to come back down from the clouds. 

The fullness in his ass lessened slowly as Rhett softened inside of him. “You are amazing,” Rhett breathed into Link’s ear. “I love you.” 

Eventually, their breathing and heartbeats slowed. Rhett took the base of his cock in hand and withdrew himself carefully before standing up to dispose of the condom. That done, he grabbed his shirt from the floor to mop his sweaty face. “Did you see where I tossed my boxers?”

“I wasn’t looking at your boxers when you took ‘em off. I was too busy lookin’ at you,” Link pointed out, and Rhett laughed. 

Link curled up on the bed, happy to watch the gorgeous naked man parade naked around their tiny bachelor apartment in search of the missing garment. He yawned hugely, not even bothering to lift a hand to his mouth to cover it. “Why are we getting dressed? I don’t know if I can even move.” He eyed his own shirt, crumpled in a sad little pile on the floor, and decided that it wasn’t worth the effort even if Rhett fetched it for him. 

“I just wanted my underwear on at least. I’m all sweaty and sticky.” Rhett had a point. Sweaty bodies were pleasant in some contexts, but sleeping and cuddling weren’t always fun when you ended up glued together. Rhett tossed Link’s blue briefs onto the bed. The big man found a rag, too, and wet it in their water bucket to wipe the lube and come from himself first and then Link. 

“Is your back hurting again?” Link asked, watching Rhett wince as he had to bend over and pull his own boxers up his thighs. The smaller man managed to wriggle into his own underwear without getting up.

“Not really,” Rhett said, easing himself carefully onto the bed. 

Link rolled his eyes. “Liar. Let me help.”

“It’s fine. You don’t have, to, you must be exhausted – _ohhh_ …” Rhett moaned as Link began to massage his tender lower back with practiced ease. He’d done this many times before out in the desert. Rhett had borne his pain with a brave silence, but Link knew the endless days of sleeping on sand or rock hadn’t been kind to his pre-existing back problems. He liked doing this for his friend. There was nothing more soothing than feeling Rhett’s muscles relax slowly beneath his skilled hands.

“Is that better?”

“Very. Thanks, Link. I only wish we had a shower,” Rhett mumbled, and Link nodded fervently. What a treat it would be to caress Rhett’s hot wet skin in a steam-filled shower, to kiss and rut against each other with the aid of the slick layer of water, soapy hands exploring each other under to ‘get clean’. 

“We’ll go for a swim in the morning. If we get up really early we might have some alone time, if we’re lucky,” Link suggested, and Rhett smiled in response without opening his eyes. Before he laid down for the night too, the brunet blew out all the candles but one. “Now shove over, lazy,” he ordered. It was only a twin bed, and thus a tight fit – the apartment really was too small for anything else – but he didn’t mind. They both liked sleeping close to one another. 

“Bossy.” Rhett rolled on his back and shuffled aside to make room, putting one arm over his head.

“You like it when I’m bossy. You like when I tell you what to do, remember?” 

The handsome blond cracked one eye open to give him an amused look. “Keep that in mind for next time,” he said in a voice full of promise. 

The scar from Rhett’s injury was faded to a light pink colour and it barely bothered him anymore. Link kissed it anyway, thanking God silently for how well his friend had recovered. 

“I love you,” he told his best friend again in a much softer tone, and Rhett’s free arm immediately pulled him close. Link rested his head on Rhett’s shoulder comfortably. He slung one leg over Rhett’s lower body and his arm over Rhett’s chest, using Rhett like some giant bodypillow. He loved how their softer bodies made cuddling that much better, no sharp bones to dig into skin painfully.

The big man seemed to like it too, because his arm pulled Link even closer. “I love you too, Link.”

Link hummed happily and closed his eyes, feeling safe and content. He let his mind drift off, dreaming of their future, full of ideas and possibilities and the paths that lay ahead. Their adventure wasn’t quite at an end, he knew. Link wanted to explore the world further, to discover where his wife and children had been taken. To be an active force in restoring the world, if he could. With Rhett by his side, nothing was impossible. They could do anything together. 

The struggling flame of the candle finally guttered out in a sigh of silver smoke. Link slept, his brow smooth and peaceful, tightly curled up against Rhett in their tiny shared bed. All was well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so grateful that so many of you have left comments on this fic. Thank you so, so much. You guys mean everything to me.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everybody who reads and gives kudos or comments!


End file.
